Turns out, that requirement from some U.S. airlines for passengers to wear face masks on flights really isn't 'required' after all.
According to an exclusive report by Reuters News Service, the big three domestic carriers have told their respective crews not to force passengers to wear masks but to certainly encourage them to do so.
Reuters was privy to employee policy documents and reported that American, Delta and United have told employees that while they can deny boarding at the gate to anyone not wearing a face mask, they can provide one to those without them.
But once onboard, making sure the face covering is actually worn becomes somewhat problematic if passengers push back.
"Once onboard and off the gate, the face-covering policy becomes more lenient. The flight attendant's role is informational, not enforcement, with respect to the face-covering policy," American told its pilots in a message seen by Reuters explaining its policy, which went into effect on Monday. "Bottom line to the pilots: a passenger onboard your aircraft who is being compliant with the exception of wearing a face covering is NOT considered disruptive enough to trigger a Threat Level 1 response."
American also conveyed the same message to its flight attendants, saying "If the customer chooses not to comply for other reasons, 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."
A United spokeswoman also said that any non-compliance by travelers would be addressed at the gate and flight attendants had been counseled to use their "de-escalation skills" on the aircraft and to reseat any passengers as needed.
Delta said it had a similar policy.
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