Brawl breaks out at Florida after passengers refuse to wear masks

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A vicious fight broke out at a US airport after some passengers refused to wear masks, delaying the flight.

The incident occurred at Fort-Lauderdale-Hollywood airport in Florida on 17 March, after travellers were deplaned from a flight to Chicago because they wouldn’t put on face coverings.

The altercation broke out between the anti-mask passengers and those who were frustrated that their flight had been delayed, reports 7 News Miami.

Captured on camera at the American Airlines terminal, the fight was between three women, who can be seen smacking and punching each other and pulling one another’s hair in footage shared on social media.

Law enforcement officers were seen eventually managing to pull the women apart.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office said the passengers had been escorted off the flight for refusing to conform to the airline’s mask mandate.

They were met with boos from other passengers when they walked back into the terminal, and at some point words were exchanged and physical violence ensued.

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No one was arrested as a result, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

“Prior to departure, three customers were removed from American Airlines flight 2558 with service from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Chicago (ORD) for refusing to comply with the federal mask mandate and not following crew member instructions,” American Airlines told The Independent.

“After deplaning, an altercation between customers occurred at the boarding gate and local law enforcement intervened.”

It’s the latest in a long line of incidents involving passengers who have refused to wear face coverings on flights during the pandemic.

A woman was kicked off a flight in the US after refusing to wear a mask and calling an airline employee an “a**hole”.

The incident occurred on a Frontier Airlines flight from Cincinnati, Ohio to Tampa, Florida on 3 December.

Video of the exchange shows a member of Frontier staff explaining the rules and asking the woman to comply, before telling her she’ll have to deplane.

A Frontier spokesperson told The Independent: “Frontier Airlines’ face covering policy is clearly explained during the reservations and check-in process, during boarding and onboard the aircraft. Face coverings are required throughout a traveller’s journey when flying with Frontier.

“The passenger will be placed on our Prevent Departure List.”