In a new era of disputes and unruly airline passengers and physical altercations over the wearing of face masks, we might have just hit a new low.
An argument over face masks between a Southwest Airlines pilot and a flight attendant at a hotel bar last month escalated into a fight, with the pilot cited for alleged assault and battery, according to USA Today.
It's a shocking story, to say the least, as flight crews are already dealing with unhinged passengers over what has become a divisive issue.
The October 18 incident took place at a San Jose, Calif. hotel, where the Southwest crew was bunked down for the night after having just flown in.
Sgt. Christian Camarillo, public information officer for the San Jose Police Department, would only say that "The event involved a disagreement over mask wearing or masks."
Southwest placed the pilot on leave while the matter is investigated, airline spokesperson Brandy King told USA Today, while the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office takes it from here.
There was a "crew disagreement during an overnight trip," King said. "We do not have information to provide regarding the context of the event, and we do not discuss personnel issues externally."
Airline incidents have become far too commonplace in the last 20 months, with more than 4,500 incidents reported to the Federal Aviation Administration - most of them over the federal mandate that all passengers wear masks onboard flights, many of them also fueled by alcohol.
Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested over the weekend that a federal no-fly list of banned passengers be instituted, similar to the list already in place to weed out suspected terrorists.
While the Southwest spokesperson declined to give more details, USA Today did see a copy of a memo the carrier sent to pilots and flight attendants.
"We realize there has been a steady drumbeat over the last 19 months about civility and respectful discourse - and that is for good reason. Many of our people have been faced with an uncomfortable situation where their beliefs are not shared by someone else, resulting in a confrontation of some kind," the memo said. "And for every situation we hear about, there are dozens more for which we don't. It is vital that we treat everyone with respect and honor our differences without pushing our ideals on someone else. Crossing the line in a heated conversation can be a violation of our guidelines for employees and can even end in loss of job."
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