Another Delta flight returns to gate after passenger refuses mask

For the second time in two months, a Delta Air Lines flight outbound from Detroit returned to the gate after a traveler refused to wear a face covering.

The non-compliant female passenger caused Saturday night’s Los Angeles-bound flight to be delayed by about 30 minutes.

She was removed from the plane.

“The customer was removed from the plane, and the flight departed without incident,” Delta Air Lines spokeswoman Kristin Seay told Deadline Detroit. “Delta requires masks on every flight for the safety of our customers and crew.”

Alexis Wiley, Chief of Staff to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, said her mother was on the flight.

Wiley’s mother captured video of the moment when the passenger exited the plane.

In July, an Atlanta-bound Delta flight from Detroit Metro Airport was forced to return to the gate after two passengers refused to wear face coverings.

The Detroit airport is a major hub for Delta.

“Wearing a mask is one of the most important ways customers and employees can help prevent the spread of the virus while flying, according to medical experts including the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the World Health Organization," the airline said.

Delta said travelers are notified about its mask requirement policy multiple times while booking flights and before boarding flights. Passengers are required to wear face coverings for the duration of the flight except for limited times while eating or drinking.

Hundreds of people have been banned from flying with the carrier for non-compliant behavior.

“Although rare, we continue to put passengers who refuse to follow the required face-covering rules on our no-fly list,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in an internal memo, according to CNN.

“You cannot board a Delta plane unless you have a mask on. If you board the plane and you insist on not wearing your mask, we will insist that you don’t fly Delta into the future,” Bastien said in July on the “Today” show.

Cox Media Group