Southwest passenger faces $9,000 fine for wearing face mask improperly, FAA says

A man faces a $9,000 fine for refusing to comply with face mask guidelines while on a Southwest Airlinesflight from California to Texas, federal officials said.

A flight attendant noticed the passenger not covering his nose with a mask, “and she asked [him] to pull it up over [his] nose,” , according to a letter sent to the man from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA did not identify the passenger.

The flight attendant tried to explain that the mask needed to cover his nose, but the passenger refused to comply, according to the FAA. When she returned with a mask to give him a short time later, he threw it on the floor, “saying he would not wear it,” the agency said in a news release.

The flight attendant again attempted to explain the mask policy and asked the man to acknowledge what she was saying. He said he would not do so and continued to refuse instructions.

She told the passenger a customer service supervisor and law enforcement would meet them at the flight’s destination and he “responded by saying that masks would not be enforced in Texas,” the letter said.

The FAA proposed a $9,000 fine for the passenger’s actions. He has 30 days to respond to the letter, which was sent on April 28.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continued earlier this year, the FAA implemented its zero-tolerance policy after seeing “a disturbing increase in incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior,” and extended the policy in March, according to the agency.

“These incidents have stemmed both from passengers’ refusals to wear masks and from recent violence at the U.S. Capitol,” a January news release from the FAA reads. “The FAA will not address these cases with warnings or counseling. The agency will pursue legal enforcement action against any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crew members.”

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have relaxed mask guidelines for vaccinated people, the Transportation Security Administration said the “federal transportation mask mandate will remain in place through September 13 on commercial flights, trains, buses, boats and in terminals,” CNN reported earlier this month.

This story was originally published May 24, 2021 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Southwest passenger faces $9,000 fine for wearing face mask improperly, FAA says."