Devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, some U.S. airlines hope to put potential passengers at ease by imposing tougher mask-wearing rules, including threats to ban floors that refuse to cover their faces.
All of the nation’s largest carriers require passengers to wear masks as well as other face masks during the flight and during boarding and departure of the aircraft, with an exemption for young children and fees for the short removal of the masks for food, drink or medication. to take.
“Our prudent policies show how important this issue is to us and our guests,” Max Tidwell, vice president of Alaska Airlines’ safety and security, said in a statement Wednesday. “If you do not wear a mask, you will not fly with us.”
Airlines cannot find passengers for refusing to wear masks because the federal government does not require it. Transport Secretary Elaine Chao has refused to support a national mandate, saying she will hand it over to the airlines.
But some airlines have taken it upon themselves to add the threat of banning passengers from future flights if they refuse to wear a mask. Delta Air Lines has gone so far as to reverse a flight and return to the port because two passengers refused to wear masks.
The tougher policy comes as US airlines wrestle with the demand of passengers which dropped to less than 30% of demand before the pandemic hit. Delta recently reported that the carrier is losing $ 27 million a day. At American, 41,000 employees recently agreed to retire early.
Which airlines require me to wear a mask during my flight?
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines, among others, require passengers to wear face cover during boarding, flight and upon departure of the aircraft. They allow passengers to remove their masks briefly to take food, drink or medication.
What happens if I refuse to keep my mask on during the flight?
Alaska, American, Delta, Spirit and United say passengers who remove their masks or refuse to wear one in the first place would be banned from future flights. American Airlines said the ban would last as long as it required masks on flights. Alaska and the United States said the duration of their ban would be determined by an investigation into the incident. Delta officials declined to say how long the ban on their airline would last. Spirit did not respond to emails asking about the duration of his ban.
Other carriers, such as Hawaiian, JetBlue and Southwest, have not posted the consequences of the face-to-face policies on their website.
At all airlines, airlines are instructed to remind passengers of the policy, but not to escalate the matter in a way that results in a confrontation during a flight.
What if I have a medical reason for not wearing a mask?
Southwest and JetBlue offer no medical exemptions for the rule: No mask, no flights. (Southwest’s policy is effective July 27; JetBlue’s policy begins Monday.)
“Our policy is intended to provide the strongest level of protection for everyone, given all we currently know about how COVID-19 is transmitted,” said JetBlue spokesman Philip Stewart.
Delta requires that passengers who claim to have a medical reason for not wearing a mask go through a consultation process that can take up to an hour. The process includes a phone call with a medical consulting service supported by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Anyone who falsely declares a disability as a medical condition to wear a mask may be excluded for Delta flights throughout the period that masks are required by the airline.
What if I do not have a face mask?
Most of the major airlines will provide passengers with a mask as needed.
Can I wear a mask with a flap?
United, Delta and JetBlue have banned passengers from wearing masks that include a breathing valve that infiltrates air but escapes air as the wearer exhales. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said such masks may protect the wearer but not prevent the spread of the coronavirus to others.
Which companies leave middle seats low to reduce the risk of virus transmission on the fly?
Delta, JetBlue and Southwest have all promised to keep the middle seat low at least for the foreseeable future, unless a family is asked to sit together. Representatives from Alaska said their carrier will reassign the seats during the boarding process to make room between passengers, whenever possible.
America and the United States adopted policies to keep the middle seats low last spring, but did so back in the last few months as the demand for air travel has gradually increased.
In May, Frontier Airlines announced that it would pay passengers a fee, starting at $ 39, to ensure that the middle seat next to them would remain empty. But several lawmakers criticized the carrier before the fee went into effect, and Frontier backpedaled.
