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An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900ER. Bruce Bennett / Getty
- Alaska Airlines is enforcing the mandatory coverage policy on board its aircraft by issuing written warnings in the form of yellow cards, such as those from a soccer game.
- “The safety of guests and employees is always our top priority, but we also need your cooperation to help us stay safe,” says the card. “This is why Alaska Airlines requires guests to wear a face mask or cover while on board, except when eating or drinking.”
- Those who continue without wearing a face cover may be prohibited from flying the airline in the future.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
Alaska Airlines is pulling out a page of the football manual in its facial covering application on board its plane.
Starting June 30, passengers who do not meet the airline’s requirement to wear a face cover on board Alaska Airlines planes will receive a written warning in the form of a yellow card, according to an airline blog post. . The flight crew that notices the breach will be in charge of enforcing the rule, with the aim of eliminating the “tension and anxiety” of the plane.
“The safety of guests and employees is always our top priority, but we also need your cooperation to help us stay safe,” says the card. “This is why Alaska Airlines requires guests to wear a face mask or cover while on board, except when eating or drinking.”
Exceptions are also made for children and for those with medical conditions.
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A yellow written warning card given to those who do not wear face covers. Alaska Airlines
Alaska has been one of the most aggressive airlines in its social distancing policies and began requiring its clients to cover their faces on May 11. Intermediate seats on the main jets of the Seattle-based airline are also blocked for booking and capacity limited to 65% until July 31.
However, unlike soccer, there is no red card. Flight crew who observe continued noncompliance will mark the behavior in a report that triggers an investigation into whether the passenger should be prohibited from flying on future Alaska flights.
“This is your final notice to comply with our policy,” says the card. “We will present a report below, which could result in the suspension of future Alaska Airlines travel.”
The airline is not alone in threatening bans for travelers who fail to comply with facial coverage policies. American Airlines recently launched a passenger on a flight from New York to Dallas for not wearing the mask.
The passenger, Brandon Straka, was later prohibited from flying in American for as long as the airline requires its passengers to wear face covers. Alaska’s new application method helps limit confrontation between stewardesses and passengers compared to a verbal warning.
According to the website, the top 11 US airlines will require face covers starting July 2, when the latest reservation, Allegiant Air, begins to force its passengers to adopt the practice on board their plane.
The use of a mask or face covering is now included in the Centers for Disease Control recommendations for a pandemic. The practice was not recommended by the government in the early days of the spread of COVID-19, but the CDC now says it may help prevent spread by asymptotic or presymptomatic carriers of the virus.
Most carriers allow an exception to the rule of wearing masks if a passenger has a medical condition or when eating and drinking.
If a passenger does not have a mask, the Alaska website says one will be provided.
Gallery: Airline Mask Requirements – See Policies for North American Carriers (USA TODAY)
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