Multiple major airlines have made face masks mandatory for passengers entering a plane, but that policy becomes much more difficult to enforce once they are onboard, CNN reports.
American Airlines memos to pilots and flight attendants obtained by CNN show that although passengers can be denied from boarding a plane if they’re not wearing a mask, "the face covering policy will become more lenient" once the passengers are onboard. The memo also notes that "the flight attendant's role is informational, not enforcement.”
The airline’s memo to flight attendants states: "please encourage them to comply, but do not escalate further. Likewise, if a customer is frustrated by another customer's lack of face covering, please use situational awareness to de-escalate the situation."
United Airlines told CNN in a statement that "If for some reason this policy causes a disturbance onboard, we've counseled our flight attendants to use their de-escalation skills, and they do have the flexibility to re-seat customers on the aircraft as needed.”
JetBlue has told airport workers to inform customers that “to help keep us all safe, customers and crewmembers are now required to wear face coverings.”
The airline’s policy adds, "Please be sensitive to the current environment -- remember to leverage our Hospitality Promises and 'Ask, Bargain & Convince' skills to de-escalate a situation with a non-compliant or frustrated customer, and use your best judgment to uphold our service standards in order to minimize disruptions. While customers failing to comply will not prompt the need for diversion or immediate removal, our inflight crewmembers should advise an airports crewmember upon arrival."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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