US airlines have largely implemented on-board mask requirements since air travel demand began ticking back up this spring.
At first, those policies were criticized as toothless: Flight attendants were discouraged from confronting passengers who wouldn't wear masks, and airlines offered little clarity on the consequences for those customers. In June, airlines including Alaska, United, American, and Delta saidThe question of medical exemptions, however, has continued to vex airlines.
It was not immediately clear whether a refusal to accommodate medical exemptions for legitimate medical reasons would violate any federal or state disability protection laws. However, the Department of Justicethat the Americans with Disabilities Act "does not provide a blanket exemption to people with disabilities from complying with legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operations.
This policy follows a "yellow card" program that Alaska rolled out in June, in which flight attendants would issue a formal notice to passengers who refuse to wear masks. The airline said that going forward, any passenger who does not comply with the mask requirement after receiving a yellow card will be banned from flying with it immediately on landing, and will have any connecting or return flights cancelled.
Alaska also said it will continue to block middle seats on flights through at least October 31, a one-month extension.Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please emailfrom Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.Get your weekly recap of all things electric vehicles, airlines, and more. Sign up for our Shifting Gears newsletter now.
Good
Congratulations for leading the pack on this .
Thumbs up. This should be standard policy across the industry. 😷 🦠 covid19 airlines
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Smart. Get those covididiots off the planes
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