These Airlines Now Require Passengers To Wear Face/Mouth Coverings

By
Ziggy
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a group of emojis with face masks
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Update 13 May 2020: SAS added to the list

For reasons that haven’t always been very clear, there has been a lot of debate, discussion, and controversy over the use of face masks during the current pandemic but, regardless of how you feel about wearing something that covers your mouth and nose, a number of major airlines now insist that passengers take precautions on board.

If you’re planning to travel in the near future you should be aware that some airlines may deny you boarding if you don’t turn up at the gate with something you can use to cover your mouth and nose. You don’t necessarily have to have a standard face mask in order to travel (most airlines on the list below appear to be happy with passengers using scarves or the cloth masks that you often see skiers wearing) but you should make sure you check with the airline before you head to the airport as only some carriers are supplying passengers with the required protection.

Here’s a lit of major airlines (and some smaller US airlines) which, as of 6 May 2020, require passengers to wear face/mouth coverings when traveling (links to individual airline advice pages have been provided where possible):

  • Air Canada (link)
  • Air France (link) – effective 11 May 2020
  • Alaska Airlines (link) – effective 11 May 2020
  • Allegiant (link)
  • American Airlines (link) – effective 11 May 2020
  • Austrian Airlines (link)
  • Delta (link)
  • Emirates (link)
  • Frontier (link) – effective 8 May 2020
  • Hawaiian Airlines (link) – effective 11 May 2020
  • JetBlue (link)
  • KLM (link) – effective 11 May 2020
  • Lufthansa (link)
  • SAS (link) – effective 18 May to 31 August 2020
  • Southwest (link) – effective 11 May 2020
  • Spirit (link) – effective 11 May 2020
  • SWISS (link)
  • United Airlines (link)

You’ll notice that there are a number of larger airlines that are still flying but that, at the time of writing, do not require the wearing of face coverings (e.g. British Airways, Qatar Airways, and Cathay Pacific) but this can change at any time so don’t make any assumptions before you travel.

Also, there are a number of major airlines that are grounded right now (e.g. Etihad, Virgin Atlantic, easyJet, etc…) so, unsurprisingly, they haven’t announced a face mask policy. This doesn’t mean that they won’t introduce a policy once they retake to the skies so travelers should make sure they keep up to date with any new developments before they attempt to travel.

Bottom Line

Face masks and coverings may not be able to prevent the wearer from contracting Covid-19 but the laws of physics dictate that they make it harder for the wearer to spread the virus, so it’s understandable that we’re starting to see more and more airlines requiring their use.

I shall be doing my best to keep this list as up to date as I can (if I’ve missed an airline out please let me know and I’ll add it to the list) but you should still check with your carrier before you head to the airport.

Featured image by visuals

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7 COMMENTS

  1. What about a list of restrictions at major airports in the world. I know here in BCN they won’t allow anyone not traveling into the terminal (from what I heard on the news).

    • Yes, a lot of airports have restrictions too (Dubai being another good example) so passengers should check details of airport requirements too.

  2. SAS have this on their site:
    FACEMASK
    It is a requirement that all travelers wear their own face mask, which covers both nose and mouth, from boarding to boarding. This applies to all flights. Travelers without a face mask are denied boarding. The face mask requirement applies from May 18 to August 31. Children under the age of 6 are exempt from this rule.

  3. Airlines must adopt an absolute policy of social distancing in the cabin, even if that means selling fewer seats, and also deny boarding, without exception, to any passenger who seems ill or with any condition that makes it likely that they could transmit COVD-19 (e.g., a person sneezing from seasonal allergies – while sneezing is not a symptom of COVID-19, a person with asymptomatic COVID-19 who sneezes from allergies could spread the virus). Until airlines adopt more stringent policies to protect passengers, this elite tier frequent flier will remain grounded. And I cannot be the only person who feels that way. There is no excuse for the crowded cabins that recently have been seen on United and American, and a facemark requirement alone is not sufficient.

  4. How about a list of airlines that will actually *enforce* the requirement for masks? American Airlines has already let slip that they will not confront passengers who refuse…which means I won’t be flying AA.

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