Coronavirus prompts airlines to have face mask-related ‘no fly’ lists

Travelers who refuse to follow protective face masks or covers during the coronavirus pandemic may risk their chance to get on their favored major airline.

This news comes days after Alaska Airlines announced it was making face covers mandatory for any passenger over the age of two and will even issue warnings or suspend future travel for a period of time if there is non-compliance. The new protocol has been in effect since Aug. 7.

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Major airlines introduced mandatory mask policies several months ago and some are keeping an internal list of names of passengers who have refused to comply.

An American Airlines spokesperson told FOX Business that the company “has added some customers to that list,” which is a policy that has been in effect since June 16.

“American already enforces this policy at the gate and will deny boarding to customers who don’t comply. American now may also deny future travel for customers who refuse to wear a face covering,” a press release issued around the time of the policy update reads. “American made this change after working in conjunction with Airlines for America on an industrywide response.”

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Delta Air Lines added an involved “Clearance-To-Fly” process in July for passengers who believe they have an underlying health condition that prevents them from wearing a mask. Exemptions are granted to passengers after they receive a consultation and clearance from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Although the process exists, the Delta is still encouraging passengers to reconsider travel by air if they can’t wear a mask, according to an internal memorandum from July 23.

The correspondence, which was viewed by FOX Business, stated that Delta had banned 120 passengers from future travel with the airline because they refused to wear a mask while onboard.

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Frontier Airlines is also keeping track of which passengers who won’t follow the company’s mask guidelines.

“We are maintaining a record of passengers who refuse to comply with crew member instructions by not wearing a mask and are placing them on a list that precludes them from flying with us in the future (typically for a specified period of time),” a spokesperson at Frontier wrote to FOX Business.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
ALK	ALASKA AIR GROUP INC.	53.42	+1.74	+3.37%
AAL	AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.	14.36	+0.34	+2.46%
DAL	DELTA AIR LINES INC.	65.37	+0.89	+1.38%
LUV	SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.	32.53	+0.13	+0.40%
JBLU	JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP.	7.04	+0.10	+1.51%
SAVE	SPIRIT AIRLINES INC.	1.35	+0.05	+3.83%
UAL	UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC.	91.47	+1.70	+1.89%

Southwest Airlines can ban passengers as well for not complying with its mask policy but the airline told FOX Business that its “approach” is to inform customers prior to travel to prevent people from boarding without personal protective equipment.

“As of June 16, Customers must acknowledge our mandatory face covering requirement via Southwest’s Customer Health Declaration which is presented during the online check-in process on the Southwest app, Southwest.com, and Southwest’s mobile website,” a spokesperson at Southwest wrote to FOX Business via email. “Southwest also communicates this policy in pre-trip communications and expects compliance to this policy to prevent the need to ban a Customer from future travel.”

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JetBlue has strengthened its face covering policy this week by no longer allowing passengers to claim exemptions. A spokesperson at the airline told FOX Business, passengers who opt to not wear a mask "will not be permitted to board until they do so."

"Our crewmembers will use their good judgment in these cases and will speak to customers who are not following our policy. If a customer refuses to wear a face covering after being asked, crewmembers will work to de-escalate the situation to the best of their ability to gain compliance," JetBlue's spokesperson wrote via email. "If the crewmember is unable to gain compliance after following our de-escalations process, the customers will be reported to ground security personnel and will be reviewed for future travel eligibility on JetBlue."

Spirit Airlines and United Airlines did not immediately return FOX Business’ request for comment on whether mask-related travel bans can or will be enforced in a post-coronavirus world.

However, Spirit Airlines will not allow passengers who do not wear a face mask onto their aircrafts. Exemptions only exist for infants who are two-years-old or younger.

“If a Customer is unable to wear a face covering for any reason (even a verifiable medical condition), we regret that we are unable to transport the Customer at this time, due to safety risk of asymptomatic COVID-19 transmission by Customers without face coverings,” the airline’s current safety measures say.

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United’s most up-to-date travel notice states that masks are mandatory for all passengers who are older than two.

“A face shield alone does not count as a face covering. Travelers who aren't wearing their face coverings in the airport or on board may be refused transport and could also lose their travel privileges on future United flights,” the airline’s notice reads. “Children younger than 2 years old are exempt.”