Airlines To Strengthen Pax Mask Use

Airlines have announced plans to enforce their policy of mandatory face mask use among passengers. This week, United Airlines said it will “strengthen mandatory mask policies to further mitigate against the spread of COVID-19 and help continue to keep passengers and crew safe.” Starting June 18, United will take steps during boarding and into the flight to ensure compliance. “While the overwhelming majority of passengers are complying with United's mandatory policy, starting on June 18, any passenger that does not comply when onboard a United flight will be placed on an internal travel restriction list,” the company said in a statement. “Customers on this list will lose their travel privileges on United for a duration of time to be determined pending a comprehensive incident review.”

United is making it clear that the situation will not escalate during the flight, and that flight attendants will provide masks to passengers who do not have them. “The only exceptions to this policy are individuals who have a medical condition or a disability that prevents them from wearing a face covering, those who cannot put on or remove a face covering themselves and small children. Customers are expected to wear a mask for the duration of the flight, except when eating or drinking.”

"Every reputable heath institution says wearing a mask is one of the most effective things people can do to protect others from contracting COVID-19, especially in places like an aircraft where social distancing is a challenge," said United's Chief Customer Officer, Toby Enqvist. "We have been requiring our customers to wear masks onboard United aircraft since May 4 and we have been pleased that the overwhelming majority of passengers readily comply with our policy. Today's announcement is an unmistakable signal that we're prepared to take serious steps, if necessary, to protect our customers and crew.”

Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue and Southwest will be following similar guidelines, according to the Airlines for America (A4A) trade group, and are expected to announce similar programs that will penalize those who refuse to wear masks by banning them from future travel. “U.S. airlines are very serious about requiring face coverings on their flights. Carriers are stepping up enforcement of face coverings and implementing substantial consequences for those who do not comply with the rules,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. “Face coverings are one of several public health measures recommended by the CDC as an important layer of protection for passengers and customer-facing employees.”

The airlines have had to create individual policies because the Department of Transportation has been unwilling to make mask use mandatory through the FAA. "As we move through the phases of reopening, the FAA will continue to support airlines and their front-line employees as they implement these CDC guidelines to ensure the health of the traveling public,” the DOT said. DOT Secretary Elaine Chao said last week that "when the federal government gets involved, we tend to be much more heavy handed, we tend to be inflexible, and once we put a rule in place, it takes a long time to remove that rule if conditions change.”