Attention Passengers: Top 3 Airlines Tell Flight Attendants Not To Enforce Mask Wearing Once Travelers Enter Cabins
Reuters reports that even though United, Delta and American claim to have policies about wearing masks at check in and while onboard planes, the policy becomes more lenient once passengers are seated. News on the airline industry reports on layered safety measures including temperature checks and a COVID blood test on Emirates flights, as well.
Reuters:
Exclusive: U.S. Airlines Tell Crews Not To Force Passengers To Wear Masks
The top three U.S. airlines have told their flight attendants not to force passengers to comply with their new policy requiring face coverings, just encourage them to do so, according to employee policies reviewed by Reuters. (Rucinski, 5/12)
The Hill:
Top Airlines Tell Flight Attendants Not To Force Passengers To Wear Masks: Report
Three of the United States' top airlines have reportedly instructed employees to not force passengers to wear face coverings during flights, though airlines say they are enforcing the policy when travelers are at gates to board airplanes. American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have told flight attendants that they should encourage passengers to comply with new policies that require travelers to wear face coverings during the coronavirus pandemic, but the airlines said employees should not force them to do so on flights, Reuters reports, citing employee policies it reviewed. (Johnson, 5/12)
Reuters:
Contact Tracing, Temperature Checks And Masks: Airline Industry Outlines New Norms
Airlines and airports are recommending a layered approach to temporary safety measures as air travel restarts, warning that no single measure can mitigate all of the risks during the pandemic, according to a briefing document seen by Reuters. (Lampert and Freed, 5/12)
ABC News:
Would Airport Coronavirus Testing Get People Flying? Not Alone, Experts Say
In addition to the usual check-ins and security checks, travelers flying on Emirates to Tunisia from the Dubai International Airport last month underwent a novel new screening before they were allowed on board: a rapid coronavirus blood test. While in the U.S. airlines institute a patchwork of measures like mandatory masks and temperature screenings in attempts to safeguard their passengers and crew, virus testing is already being conducted for a small number of travelers by airlines or in airports in a few foreign countries in some of the first steps in hopes of buoying an industry that has been decimated by the pandemic. (Dukakis and Siegel, 5/12)
