Woman Removed From Flight After Refusing To Wear Mask, Spitting on Passengers

A 23-year-old woman was forcibly removed from a flight at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers after refusing to wear a mask and becoming aggressive toward crew members and passengers on Wednesday.

According to NBC2, Adelaide Schrowang of Sarasota refused to comply with the federal mask mandate for all air travelers and became furious when flight attendants ordered her to deplane, going so far as to spit on other passengers. She was eventually escorted off the plane by police officers and taken into custody.

Schrowang was transported to the Lee County Jail and faces multiple charges, including interfering with aircraft operations, resisting officers and trespassing.

The incident occurred just two days after an American Airlines flight from Charlotte, North Carolina to Nassau, Bahamas was delayed overnight when a group of more than 30 high school students refused to wear their masks.

The uptick in unruly passenger reports since mask requirements have gone into effect over the past year has led airline officials to push for stronger penalties. On Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) levied $119,000 in civil penalties against nine passengers for alleged violations of federal regulations, with a majority of the incidents involving people who refused to wear a mask.