Airlines Urge Passengers to Wear Face Masks
April 27 2020 - 10:30PM
Dow Jones News
By Alison Sider
Face masks are becoming a must-have travel accessory for those
still flying during the coronavirus pandemic.
JetBlue Airways Corp. will require customers to wear masks
starting May 4.
"This is the new flying etiquette," Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue's
president and chief operating officer said in a statement.
Under the new policy, travelers will have to wear coverings over
their noses and mouths during check-in, boarding, while in flight
and during deplaning. JetBlue also encouraged passengers to wear
face coverings in the airport.
American Airlines Group Inc. said Monday that it would start
handing out face masks as passengers board, beginning in early May.
American said the protective gear won't be available on every
flight right away but plans to expand the offering.
"We are looking out for our customers' well-being to give them
peace of mind while they travel with us," Kurt Stache, American's
senior vice president of customer experience, said in a
statement.
Delta Air Lines Inc. told employees in a message Monday that it
would "strongly encourage" customers to wear masks and would make
them available at ticket counters, gates and onboard.
Travel restrictions, stay-home orders and fear of infection have
weighed heavily on air travel. Demand has shrunk to a sliver of
what it was before the coronavirus pandemic hit, with passenger
volumes down over 95%. Domestic flights are just 12.5% full on
average, according to Airlines for America, an industry trade
group. Many take off with just a handful of people onboard.
But carriers are starting to grapple with the question of how to
get passengers comfortable with the idea of boarding a plane again.
They have implemented measures to keep people apart: preventing
passengers from booking seats next to one another or limiting the
number of available middle seats, changing boarding procedures, and
eliminating food and beverage service.
Several carriers have started requiring flight attendants to
wear masks. Delta and American both said Monday that they would
start requiring employees, including flight attendants, to wear
face coverings in certain circumstances, joining JetBlue and United
Airlines Holdings Inc.
Unions that represent flight attendants have been advocating for
broader requirements for travelers to cover their faces.
Rep. Steve Cohen (D, Tenn.) wrote to Transportation and Health
Department officials Monday, saying that social distancing at 6
feet on an airplane would be difficult. "But we know that masks are
one of the most effective tools to mitigate people's risk of
exposure when those around them are also wearing masks," he
wrote.
Write to Alison Sider at alison.sider@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 27, 2020 22:15 ET (02:15 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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