US Airlines Requiring Passenger Masks

Last week saw most US airlines make announcements around their plans to help keep employees and passengers safe, including in many cases a requirement to wear face coverings onboard flights.

Here is a helpful list I found compiled by The Points Guy outlining the current mask policies across US carriers:

Alaska: All Alaska employees who can’t maintain six feet of separation are required to wear face masks, and, as of May 11, all passengers are required to wear masks as well. The airline will have masks available for passengers who forget theirs at home.

American: Beginning May 11, all passengers will be required to wear a face covering onboard all American Airlines flights. The carrier had already said it would require all flight attendants to wear masks as of May 1. The airline will begin issuing sanitizing wipes and masks to travelers as well — those amenities should be available across American’s network within the next few weeks.

Delta: Delta customers are required to wear a face covering or mask. Similarly, all Delta employees and contractors are required to wear face masks when they can’t maintain a separation of at least six feet. According to the airline, “Face coverings will be required starting in the check-in lobby and across Delta touchpoints including Delta Sky Clubs, boarding gate areas, jet bridges and on board the aircraft for the duration of the flight – except during meal service.” Face masks will be available upon request at ticket counters, gates and onboard flights.

Frontier: Frontier customers will be required to wear masks onboard all flights beginning May 8, as an expansion of the carrier’s policy for flight crews, which went into effect on April 13. Unlike with American and Delta, Frontier won’t be making face masks available to customers — they’ll need to bring their own.

Hawaiian: Hawaiian Airlines is requiring all passengers to wear face coverings starting on May 8, joining a previous requirement for crew members.

JetBlue: All JetBlue crew members and passengers are required to cover their nose and mouth, with the exception of small children who are unable to wear a face covering.

Southwest: All Southwest employees will be required to wear face masks when interacting with customers, while customers will be required to wear masks as of May 11. Face masks and sanitizing wipes will be available upon request.

Spirit: As of May 11, all Spirit passengers and customer-facing employees will be required to wear masks or face coverings. According to the airline, “guests will be expected to bring their own face coverings and will be required to wear them both at the airport and throughout the flight.”

United: All passengers must cover their faces, and the airline will provide masks to travelers free of charge. Additionally, face coverings will be mandatory for all United employees onboard an aircraft, joining a previous requirement for flight attendants, which went into effect on Apr. 24.

Source: https://thepointsguy.com/news/masks-required-to-fly-us-airlines/