WestJet to remove unmasked passengers from flights and ban them for a year

WestJet is taking tough new measures beginning next week against passengers who refuse to comply with federal masking rules on flights. The airline says it will go as far as booting passengers off flights who consistently refuse to wear a mask or face covering while on board. "If the plane has not left the ... [ground] and somebody refused to wear a mask, we will return to the gate," WestJet president and CEO Ed Sims said. Sims said in "extreme circumstances" — if passengers continue to ignore masking rules — the plane will turn around and return to its point of origin. Transport Canada requires everyone over the age of two wear a mask on board all flights. A recent order added that only those with an official doctor's note are exempt from mandatory masking. WestJet says it hopes to avoid the extreme measures of ejecting non-compliant passengers seen with increasingly regularity on US carriers. "I have an obligation and a duty of care to our staff," Sims said. "I also have an obligation to every other guest. So my focus is on the 99 per cent of guests who continue to wear masks."<br/>