American Airlines to Offer Facemasks to Passengers, JetBlue Will Require Them

How the travel industry is going to change from the COVID-19 pandemic, which effectively brought leisure travel to a halt last month, has been the topic of conversation for weeks now.

Two major carriers have adapted to one short-term change: the requirement of flight attendants and passengers on certain airlines to wear face coverings during their flights in order to keep them safe in cabin.

Starting in early May, American Airlines will require all of its flight attendants during every mainline and regional flight to wear a face mask in order to keep them safe during the journey, American announced yesterday. With that move, American joins Delta, United, JetBlue, and Frontier in making that obligatory for its cabin crew.

American also said in an update on its cleaning procedures on Monday that it will start distributing sanitizing wipes or gels and facemasks to customers at the same time with the goal of getting the equipment to all of its guests “as supplies and operational conditions allow.”

“We are looking out for our customers’ well-being to give them peace of mind while they travel with us,” said Kurt Stache, American’s Senior Vice President of Customer Experience. “We’re moving quickly on these enhancements and we’ll continue to improve the travel experience for our customers and team members as we navigate through this time together.”

JetBlue also announced Monday that it will require all of its passengers and crew members to wear a face covering during travel, a decision the airline says it made with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines in mind.

JetBlue passengers, except for small children, will be required to wear a covering that covers both their nose and mouth through the whole journey, from check-in to deplaning.

“Wearing a face covering isn’t about protecting yourself it’s about protecting those around you,” Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue’s president and COO said in a statement, calling masks for passengers “the new flying etiquette.”

“Onboard, cabin air is well circulated and cleaned through filters every few minutes but this is a shared space where we have to be considerate of others.”

Both airlines, like Delta did last week, also said they would be boosting their cleaning in gate areas, ticket counters, team member rooms, and aircraft cabins.