Air travel is getting even more stressful in COVID-19 times … an American Airlines passenger had a meltdown over wearing a mask and caused a huge scene.

The wild video picks up with a passenger arguing with a flight attendant, and our sources say the man was losing his cool over being told to keep his face covering on despite claims he was having trouble breathing.

The dispute gets tense and the vulgarities start flying back and forth … and at one point, the flight attendant threatens to call the cops and tells the passenger, “I’m gonna have your ass arrested!!!”

The incident came to a head when the LAX-JFK flight landed in New York and was met by Port Authority who spoke to the man. We’re told he was not arrested on the spot, but police will continue to investigate the incident and charges could be filed at a later date.

We’re told the passenger claimed he had a medical issue and needed air … but as you can see, he had no problem yelling and screaming about his flight experience with a buddy on the phone.

The cross-country flight could be the last time this guy flies with AA … we’re told the airline is looking to ban him from future travel on the airline.