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Which Airlines Have Dropped Face Mask Requirements? As the COVID-19 pandemic shifts to an endemic phase with most airline passengers 5 and older having had the opportunity to get vaccinated, some airlines have already dropped their face mask requirements, at least for certain routes. This doesn't yet apply to U.S. airlines, which are still governed by the federal face mask mandate, which has been extended to at least April 18, 2022, although American Airlines has already stated that it will drop its face mask mandate as soon as the federal face mask mandate expires.
The end of face mask mandates, especially in the U.S., will, we hope, reduce the number of mask-related altercations in the air, which has taken a toll on the flight crew who have to enforce the mandates and sometimes resulted in violence. It will also come as a relief to parents of young children and to certain autistic or disabled passengers who may have trouble wearing a mask for long periods of time. Many others, however, will likely continue to gladly wear face masks during their travel journey, particularly in airports, which in most cases have much worse air filtration than aircraft do.
In the meantime, here are the airlines who have announced that they won't enforce a face mask mandate:
British Airways: As of 3/16
British Airways announced on 3/16/22 that it wouldn't enforce a face mask mandate on flights if it was clear that the flight's destination didn't require face masks to be worn on board.
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EasyJet: From 3/27
EasyJet has announced that “Following the removal of mandatory mask wearing in a number of countries, we have reviewed our mask policy onboard and have taken the decision that, from 27 March 2022, on flights where masks are no longer legally required at both ends of the route, we will not mandate customers and crew to wear masks onboard the flight.” As with BA and Virgin, easyJet has emphasized that face masks continue to be required by the majority of destinations, and the airline is bound by the legal requirements of the countries it flies to.
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KLM: From 3/23 Won't Enforce Dutch Government Face Mask Requirement
The Dutch government plans to stop requiring face masks on all public transportation starting 3/23/22, except for airports and airplanes. A KLM spokesperson stated “We find it disappointing that the use of face masks during boarding and during the entire flight is still being considered by the Dutch government, while this has been abandoned everywhere in the Netherlands.” The representative went on to say that this approach didn't make sense given the current phase of the pandemic, and that the growing number of serious incidents involving unruly passengers (face mask related) could adversely impact flight safety. ““We plan to no longer monitor this from March 23. Instead, we will strongly recommend that our passengers wear a face mask on board in line with EASA and ICAO guidelines,” the representative concluded.
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Virgin Atlantic: As of 3/16
Virgin Atlantic has noted that from 3/16/22, “it will be your personal choice whether you wear a face mask or not,” depending on the flight you're on, since different destinations have different requirements. Passengers may still be asked to wear a mask when boarding or disembarking, again based on the regulations of the departure or arrival airport.
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Jet2 and TUI have also dropped their face mask mandates where allowed, on flights to and from England and Northern Ireland.
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