Frontier And JetBlue Will Start Requiring Passengers To Wear Masks, United And Others Aren't Yet
/ CBS Colorado
(CBS4/CNN) - Airports and airlines are rolling out new policies aimed at protecting passengers and crew from coronavirus transmission and increasing consumer confidence in air travel safety. Everyone in Denver is required to wear a face mask in public starting Wednesday -- and that includes all passengers, employees and visitors at Denver International Airport.
Here's where some major carriers stand, at this point, on personal protective equipment:
American Airlines announced on Monday that flight attendants will be required to wear masks beginning on May 1. American will also start handing out sanitizing wipes and gels and face masks to customers in early May, "as supplies and operational conditions allow," a news release said.
Delta Air Lines is requiring all employees to wear masks or face coverings when unable to maintain the six-foot social distancing rule, the airline said in a memo to employees on Monday.
Frontier Airlineswill begin requiring that passengers wear a face covering over their nose and mouth at the airline's ticket counters, gate areas and onboard Frontier aircraft, effective May 8. Very young children, for whom a face covering is inadvisable, will be exempt from the policy. Face coverings have been required for Frontier flight crews since April 13.
SEATTLE, WA - MARCH 15: A passenger wearing a mask prepares to board a flight departing the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on March 15, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. The state of Washington has over 600 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) and U.S. airports have been crushed with returning citizens after restrictions on travel from Europe were implemented. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
JetBlue Airways announced that it will require all passengers to wear face masks starting on May 4. Crew members were already required to wear masks.
United Airlineswill begin to provide masks to passengers in early May, but passengers will not be requited to wear them, a company spokesperson told CNN. All United Airlines flight attendants are required to wear face masks. United was the first major US carrier to announce the requirement.
On Sunday, the TSA marked its highest number of screened passengers in the US since April 3. The TSA figure -- 128,875 passengers screened on Sunday -- was still only about 5% of the 2.5 million people screened on the equivalent day in 2019, but it's an uptick nonetheless and safety measures are top-of-mind for anyone considering flying.
Read more about what Denver International Airport is doing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus here.
