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4 February, 2020

Flight delayed after passenger wearing gas mask frightens travellers

By Alexandra Coulton

An American Airlines flight was reportedly delayed when a man donning a gas mask boarded and refused to show his face.

According to a tweet from a passenger on board the flight, the 2212 flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Huston was delayed for an hour because American Airlines staff “let this guy on the plane wearing a gas mask”.

“This then panicked people on the plane and we had to wait for him to be escorted off.”

https://twitter.com/ThePlatypusesTX/status/1223087744358002688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1223087744358002688&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fabc13.com%2F5894124

The passenger who posted the Tweet, Joseph Say, told US TV channel ABC13, that he had taken his seat and was chatting to the lady next to him when he heard a commotion.

“I looked up and saw a guy coming onto the plane wearing a full gas mask, which was kind of odd. He didn’t have a filter, which I thought was more strange,” Say said.

“Immediately, people start talking in the back of the plane. They were worried. Most people wanted him off the plane.”

Say said the man refused to remove his mask when asked by a flight attendant causing concern among other passengers who wanted to know why he was wearing it.

“What we heard from the lady sitting next to him was he said he wanted to make a statement. I don’t know what the statement was. I’m not sure what his goals were. To me, it seemed inconsistent,” Say said.

“You couldn’t see his face. You couldn’t identify any features on him. People were worried he had sneaked something on-board and that he had the mask for his own safety.”

American Airways told Travel Weekly the masked man was booked on another flight, where he removed his mask before flying.

It is believed the mask may have been part of a publicity stunt.

This came as Travel Weekly reported last week that passengers were coming up with crafty new ways to avoid catching the deadly coronavirus including placing large bottles over their heads and wearing plastic bags.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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