CHICAGO, June 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines
announced today that, along with other Airlines for America (A4A)
members, it will strengthen mandatory mask policies to further
mitigate against the spread of COVID-19 and help continue to keep
passengers and crew safe. 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. 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 currently requires all passengers to wear a face covering
onboard its flights and expects that policy to remain in place for
at least the next 60 days. 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."
Under this new policy, if a flight attendant notices or is
informed of a customer onboard who is not wearing a face covering
and that passenger does not fall within an exception, the flight
attendant will proactively inform the customer that for the health
and safety of everyone, face coverings are mandatory for all
customers and crew on board. They will also offer to provide the
customer with a mask if needed. If the customer continues to be
non-compliant, flight attendants will do their best to de-escalate
the situation, again inform the customer of United's policy, and
provide the passenger with an In-Flight Mask policy reminder card.
If a customer continues to not comply, the flight attendant will
file a report of the incident, which will initiate a formal review
process. Any final decision or actions regarding a customer's
future flight benefits will not occur onboard but instead take
place after the flight has reached its destination and the security
team has investigated the incident.
"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."
In April, United became the first major U.S.-based airline to
require flight attendants to wear a face mask while on duty, and
beginning in May, expanded that mandate to include all employees
and customers on board. This includes front-line workers like
pilots, customer service agents and ramp workers when on board an
aircraft, along with any other United employees traveling using
their flight benefits.
"Wearing a mask is a critical part of helping make air travel
safer," said Dr. James Merlino,
Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at Cleveland Clinic. "The
more people in a given space wearing masks, the fewer viral
particles are making it into the space around them, decreasing
exposure and risk."
The airline's mask policy is an important part of the United
CleanPlus program, which brings together one of the most trusted
brands in surface disinfection - Clorox - and the country's top
medical experts - Cleveland Clinic - to inform and guide United's
new cleaning, safety and social distancing protocols. As part of
this program, United is taking a layered approach to help protect
passengers and employees on board. In addition to requiring masks,
United Airlines planes have HEPA grade filters that recirculate air
every 2-3 minutes, and the airline is using electrostatic sprayers
to disinfect the cabin before flights.
In addition to the onboard actions, United has implemented
dozens of other new procedures at other points in the travel
journey including offering touchless check-in for baggage at more
than 200 locations, asking customers to complete a health
assessment at check-in, installing sneeze guards and adjusting the
boarding process.
For full information on the United CleanPlus
program, please visit united.com/cleanplus.
About United
United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the
World." For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on
Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of
United's parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the
Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-airlines-strengthens-onboard-mask-policy-to-further-protect-passengers-and-employees-against-covid-19-spread-301077231.html
SOURCE United Airlines