In the good old days, passengers who — if one were a child psychologist referring to an 8-year-old — might be described as suffering from Oppositional Defiant Disorder, might be abusive about turning off phones or buckling seat belts. But as air travel edges back toward normal, it is passenger non-compliance with masking rules that is festering. This was underscored by the recent videotaped assault on a Southwest flight attendant by a passenger who knocked out two of her teeth.
In the aftermath, both Southwest and American Airlines, whose own crews are among those subject to escalating…
