American Airlines bans conservative activist who refused to wear a mask

A conservative activist who is an ardent supporter of President Trump was barred by American Airlines on Thursday, one day after he was removed from a flight from La Guardia Airport to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport after he refused to wear a mask. The passenger, Brandon Straka, recorded his exchange with an airline employee on Wednesday after boarding the plane and shared it with several media outlets. In the video, the employee referred to an American Airlines policy that requires all passengers and crew members to wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The policy, which went into effect on May 11, makes exemptions for children, passengers with disabilities and medical conditions, and for people eating or drinking. It is similar to the policies of other major airlines. The airline employee told Straka that if he did not comply that he would have to get off the flight, which carried 122 passengers. Straka, 43, responded that he didn’t like wearing a mask. He was escorted off the plane. But American Airlines said Thursday that after reviewing the episode that Straka would no longer be allowed on any of its flights for as long as the mask requirement is in place. According to the airline, Straka gave contradictory answers about having a medical condition.<br/>