Washington

A passenger on an American Airlines flight was removed after he refused to wear a face covering in compliance with its COVID-19 safety policy, it was reported on Friday.

The passenger, Brandon Straka, a former actor and hairstylist, was asked to wear a face mask on Flight 1263 from New York to Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, reports the BBC.

When Straka refused, he was asked to leave the flight, the airline said.

In a statement on Thursday, American Airlines said it had banned Straka until "face coverings are no longer required for customers".

While there is no federal law mandating masks on US flights, all major airlines in the country have been enforcing face covering rules for passengers and crew since mid-May.

On Monday, American Airlines announced "a stronger policy for customer face coverings".

It said customers who refused to wear face coverings would not be allowed to board and could be banned from future travel.

Meanwhile, Straka described American Airlines' mask policy as "absolutely insane" in a video posted to Twitter, declaring: "We don't even have a choice anymore."

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