A man sits in front of a closed kiosk at LAX airport at the start of the Memorial Day holiday weekend during the new coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, in Los Angeles, California, on May 22, 2020.
Apu Gomes | AFP | fake pictures
The Trump administration said Thursday that air travelers should wear face covers as masks and announced a number of other guidelines aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 on air travel.
Major US airlines require air travelers to wear masks on board flights and have recently warned travelers that they will refuse service to customers who do not comply, with some exceptions such as medical problems.
“Airlines and airports are strongly encouraged to require everyone to properly wear a mask or cloth covering the face in shared spaces,” with some exceptions, such as medical problems or eating or drinking, federal officials said in their guidelines. “Wearing a mask or cloth to cover your face is particularly necessary as long as you cannot maintain social distance.”
They also asked airlines to collect passenger health statements, as well as contact information to help government disease localization efforts.
The recommendations were jointly issued by the Department of Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
The guidelines called for physical distancing at airports. Although they failed to compel distance during flights, officials said airlines and airports should advise travelers “when expectations of social distancing cannot be met” and stress the importance of wearing a mask and maintaining clean hands.
Unions had asked the federal government to order masks on board.
“It is imperative that airlines and airports inform passengers when expectations of social distancing cannot be met and, as a result, emphasize the additional importance of observing all other preventive measures, including strict hand hygiene, respiratory label and the use of a mask or cloth covering the face, “officials said.
US airlines’ policies on leaving some seats unsold to space passengers on flights have diverged in recent weeks.
American Airlines this month lifted the limits on the number of seats it sells on each flight, after establishing a series of new policies, such as requiring masks on board and intensifying cleaning procedures. United Airlines has not set a capacity limit on its flights, but like American, it informs travelers when their flights are filling up.
“When it comes to blocking middle seats, that’s a public relations strategy, not a security strategy,” Josh Earnest, United’s director of communications, said Wednesday.
Delta, Southwest and JetBlue have been limiting the number of spaces they leave open on their flights.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a note to employees Thursday that “limiting capacity makes a real difference in keeping travelers and our people safe on board, and our customers tell us it gives them peace of mind when they fly.” .
The policy, which limits capacity in the economy cabin to 60%, runs through September “and I hope we will continue to block intermediate seats beyond that date,” Bastian said.
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