United Airlines Strengthens Onboard Mask Policy to Further Protect Passengers and Employees Against COVID-19 Spread

United Airlines Strengthens Onboard Mask Policy to Further Protect Passengers and Employees Against COVID-19 Spread

United Airlines has announced that, along with other Airlines for America (A4A) members, it will strengthen mandatory mask policies to further mitigate against the spread of COVID-19. While the overwhelming majority of passengers are complying with United’s mandatory policy, now, any passenger that does not comply when onboard a United fl ight will be placed on an internal travel restriction list. Customers on this list will lose their travel privileges on United for a duration of time to be determined pending a comprehensive incident review.

United currently requires all passengers to wear a face covering onboard its fl ights and the only exceptions to this policy are individ-

uals who have a medical condition or a disability that prevents them from wearing a face covering, those who cannot put on or remove a face cover-

ing themselves and small children. Customers are expected to wear a mask for the duration of the fl ight, except when eating or drinking.

“Every reputable heath institution says wearing a mask is one of the most eff ective things people can do to protect others from contracting COVID-19, especially in places like an aircraft where social distancing is a challenge,” said United’s Chief Cus-

tomer Offi cer, Toby Enqvist. “We have been requiring our customers to wear masks onboard United aircraft since May 4 and we have been pleased that the overwhelming majority of passen-

gers readily comply with our policy. Today’s announcement is an unmis-

takable signal that we’re prepared to take serious steps, if necessary, to protect our customers and crew.”

Under this new policy, if a fl ight attendant notices or is informed of a customer onboard who is not wearing a face covering and that passenger does not fall within an exception, the fl ight attendant will proactively in-

form the customer that for the health and safety of everyone, face coverings are mandatory for all customers and crew on board. Th ey will also off er to provide the customer with a mask if needed. If the customer continues to be non-compliant, fl ight attendants will do their best to de-escalate the situation, again, inform the customer of United’s policy, and provide the passenger with an In-Flight Mask policy reminder card. If a customer continues to not comply, the fl ight attendant will fi le a report of the incident, which will initiate a formal review process. Any fi nal decision or actions regarding a customer’s future fl ight benefi ts will not occur onboard, but instead take place aft er the fl ight has reached its destination and the security team has investigated the incident.

“U.S. airlines are very serious about requiring face coverings on their fl ights. Carriers are stepping up enforcement of face coverings and im-

plementing substantial consequences for those who do not comply with the rules,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. “Face coverings are one of several public health measures recommended by the CDC as an important layer of protection for passengers and cus-

tomer-facing employees.”

In April, United became the fi rst major U.S.-based airline to require fl ight attendants to wear a face mask while on duty, and beginning in May, expanded that mandate to include all employees and customers on board. Th is includes front-line workers like pilots, customer service agents and ramp workers when on board an aircraft , along with any other United employees traveling using their fl ight benefi ts.

“Wearing a mask is a critical part of helping make air travel safer,” said Dr. James Merlino, chief clinical transfor-

mational offi cer at Cleveland Clinic. “Th e more people in a given space wearing masks, the fewer viral particles are making it into the space around them, decreasing exposure and risk.

Th e airline’s mask policy is an im-

portant part of the United CleanPlus program, which brings together Clo-

rox - and the country’s top medical experts - Cleveland Clinic - to inform and guide United’s new cleaning, safety and social distancing proto-

cols. As part of this program, United is taking a layered approach to help protect passengers and employees on board. In addition to requiring masks, United Airlines planes have HEPA grade fi lters that recirculate air every 2-3 minutes, and the airline is using electrostatic sprayers to disinfect the cabin before fl ights.

In addition to the onboard actions, United has implemented dozens of other new procedures at other points in the travel journey, including off er-

ing touchless check-in for baggage at more than 200 locations, asking customers to complete a health assess-

ment at check-in, installing sneeze guards and adjusting the boarding process. For full information on the United CleanPlus program, please visit unit-

ed.com/cleanplus.

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