American ‘reached out’ to Cruz about not wearing mask on flight

American Airlines said it had “reached out” to Senator Ted Cruz after he was photographed in an airport and on a plane not wearing a mask in spite of the carrier’s requirement that passengers cover their faces. The pictures of Cruz, a Texas Republican who is chairman of the Aviation and Space Subcommittee, were posted to Twitter by a staff member of the House Democratic campaign arm. American requires everyone except small children and those with disabilities to wear masks. People can remove them while eating or drinking. Passengers who refuse can be prevented from boarding or barred from later flights, according to the airline policy. “For the well-being of our customers and team members, we require face coverings to be worn onboard, and we expect our customers to comply with our policies when they choose to travel with us,” the airline said Monday evening. “As we do in all instances like these, we reviewed the details of the matter, and while our policy does not apply while eating or drinking, we have reached out to Senator Cruz to affirm the importance of this policy as part of our commitment to protecting the health and safety of the traveling public.” Cruz wears a mask “to help promote safety,” but took it off to drink, his office said in a statement. He put the mask back on afterward, according to the statement. “To help promote safety, Senator Cruz wears a mask when traveling, and practices social distancing where possible,” Cruz’s office said. “Consistent with airline policy, he temporarily removes the mask while eating or drinking.”<br/>