News

American Airlines Investigated Sen. Ted Cruz For Not Wearing A Mask On Board One Of Its Flights

An American Airlines representative said Monday that it was investigating Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) after a photograph surfaced of him not wearing a mask on one of its flights.

The photo was posted on Twitter Sunday night. It shows Cruz not wearing a mask while holding a cup of coffee. Hosseh Enad, who works for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee,  posted the photo.


Enad shared another photo coupled with a summary of the American Airlines mask policy. He wrote that airline “policy clearly states that masks should be worn on the flight.”


A spokeswoman from Cruz’s office claimed that the senator followed airline policy. She said that Cruz wore a face covering while traveling and that he had temporarily removed his mask to “eat” or “drink” when he was photographed without one.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Cruz’s spokeswoman wrote in an email, “Sen. Cruz has repeatedly said since the start of the pandemic we need to follow the science, listen to public health experts and take common sense steps to slow the spread of COVID-19 and reopen our economy … That includes wearing face masks, washing hands and social distancing where possible.”

American Airlines Group and all its subsidiaries announced in mid-June that all passengers were required to wear face coverings while onboard its aircraft and that it would deny boarding to passengers who refused to comply.

On Sunday, an American Airlines representative confirmed that Cruz had flown with one of its domestic regional partners and said that the company had reviewed the incident.

The spokesperson wrote in an email on Monday afternoon, “As we do in all instances like these, we reviewed the details of the matter.”

He added, “And while our policy does not apply while eating or drinking, we have reached out to Sen. Cruz to affirm the importance of this policy as part of our commitment to protecting the health and safety of the traveling public.”

Emily Bevacqua

Share
Published by
Emily Bevacqua

Recent Posts

Whistleblower Says Trump Nominee For Federal Judgeship, Emil Bove, Told Justice Department Attorneys To Defy Court Orders

A whistleblower has provided text messages and emails alleging that Emil Bove, a senior Justice…

14 hours ago

FEMA Head David Richardson Makes First Appearance In Texas Following Deadly Flooding That Killed 129 People

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) acting administrator David Richardson made his first public appearance…

15 hours ago

Trump Names Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy, Former Star Of ‘The Real World,’ To Serve As NASA’s Interim Head

President Donald Trump announced last week that U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy will serve…

18 hours ago

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Didn’t Consult Trump Prior To Authorizing Pause On Weapons Shipments To Ukraine

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth did not notify the White House prior to authorizing a…

23 hours ago

Measles Cases Reach Highest Number In U.S. In Past Three Decades

Since the beginning of the year, the U.S. has had 1,299 confirmed measles cases as…

2 days ago

56% Of Californians Favor Secession From The U.S., New Poll Finds

A poll conducted in June by the Independent California Institute found that a majority of…

2 days ago