CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An American Airlines flight to the Bahamas from Charlotte Douglas International Airport initially scheduled to depart Monday was delayed for a day after disruptive passengers would not comply with the federal mask mandate.
Monday, passengers aboard the flight shared their frustrations with the flight being delayed -- saying a group of high school seniors was being disruptive while celebrating their graduation.
Wednesday, Breakaway Beach, the travel company that booked the student trip from Boston to Nassau told NBC affiliate WBTS they believe the blame is on American Airlines, saying mechanical issues resulted in an hours-long delay on the tarmac, during which some of the students "may have removed their masks" due to no air-conditioning and poor ventilation.
"Trust me, they know how to wear masks, they wear it every day when they were in school," Jeanne Holgerson, who has a son on the trip, told WBTS. "I mean it's not that anyone was disrespectful."
The travel company noted only one or two of the students were acting up, which resulted in all 47 of them being removed from the aircraft and labeled disruptive.
The flight departed Charlotte Tuesday at 10 a.m. just over 24 hours since the original departure time of 9:30 a.m. Monday. Flight tracking data showed the aircraft arrived at Nassau Lynden Pindling International Airport Tuesday at 11:45 a.m.