US airlines have revealed the consequences for passengers who won’t wear face masks on flights, which may include being placed on their restricted lists. This policy does not apply to passengers who are exempt, including babies, small children, and individuals with medical conditions or disabilities preventing them from wearing a face covering.
Members of Airlines for America (A4A) have announced that they will strengthen their mandatory mask policies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and enhance safety for passengers and crew. These airlines encompass Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. Each airline will clearly communicate its individual face-covering policy to customers, which may require passengers to acknowledge the specific rules during check-in.
Onboard the aircraft, crew members will detail the carrier’s face covering policy, including the consequences of violating it. Individual carriers will determine appropriate consequences for noncompliance, which may extend to suspension of flying privileges. United Airlines has stated that, apart from agreed exceptions, any passenger failing to comply will be placed on an internal travel restriction list and subsequently lose their travel privileges on United for a duration determined after an incident review.
American Airlines has indicated it may deny future travel for customers who refuse to wear a face covering. Similarly, Delta issued a statement regarding potential consequences for passengers who neglect the rules. It emphasized, “Those who choose not to comply with this or other safety requirements risk future flight privileges with Delta, in line with the face-covering enforcement policies Airlines for America recently announced.”
The full statement from Airlines for America can be found here.
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