As of August 27, Delta said it has banned about 240 people from flying with the carrier.
“Although rare, we continue to put passengers who refuse to follow the required face-covering rules on our no-fly list,” Delta director Ed Bastian said in an internal memo to employees shared with CNN.
The memo marks the opening of Delta’s new Salt Lake City hub and includes references to the current state of aviation, its continued growth and the major impact Covid-19 has had on health management and safety of personnel and passengers.
“System-wide, we continue to identify opportunities to accelerate our airport projects and place Delta to lead the recovery with world-class facilities that will help us transform the customer experience,” Bastian writes.
Masked ceilings
From mandatory mask rules to keeping middle seats low and reducing or eliminating food and drink, struggling airlines are doing what they can to reduce the spread of coronavirus while trying to stay in business.
And make no mistake: Many, like Delta, could not be more serious about keeping their promises in the time of Covid-19.
Delta Airlines will continue to provide services to passengers, provided they wear a mask on board the aircraft.
David McNew / Getty Images
The federal government has not implemented mask-wearing regulations, contrary to the enforceable requirements on wearing seat belts and not smoking in airplanes. As a result, it is up to airlines to pass on police passenger behavior, which has resulted in strict new policies.
Passengers who decide to break the mask-wearing rules will face consequences – such as banning these passengers from future flights.
In a staff memo, Bastian said: “As we all work for recovery, it is important that we remain focused on the drive to deliver the safest, cleanest airports, aircraft and workspaces possible.”
No mask? Do not go
Less than three weeks ago, Delta had banned 100 passengers for refusing masks; that number has now more than doubled.
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
The Atlanta-based airline requires passengers to wear masks starting at check-in. Last month, Delta passengers who could not wear a mask due to a health problem began to be told to consider staying home.
CNN’s Michael Callahan contributed to this report.
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