Delta Air Lines has added almost 700 passengers to its no-fly record for refusing to comply with its necessary masks coverage, CEO Ed Bastian wrote in an internal company memo Wednesday.
That quantity was up considerably from simply 460 banned passengers in late October, in response to an earlier report. The airline has been adding rule-breaking passengers to the no-fly record because it added mask necessities in April.
Whereas it feels like numerous passengers added to the no-fly record, most individuals touring with the airline have adopted the health security necessities. A Delta spokesperson mentioned the airline has flown about 1 million customers per week, even with decreased schedules amid the pandemic.
Bastian additionally wrote that it’s “vitally necessary” for Delta staff to conduct every day COVID-19 symptom self-assessments and to observe health security tips like social distancing.
“Collectively, these layers of safety will maintain you, our customers, and our communities safer and more healthy as we transfer into 2021,” he wrote.
Delta and different main airways are requiring passengers to put on face masks on flights in an effort to cease the coronavirus from spreading between passengers and crew. Delta can also be blocking center seats by means of March 30, 2021, and is permitting passengers to alter or cancel their journey plans with no charge.
A Department of Defense research discovered that masks, mixed with airplanes’ air filtration methods, can drastically cut back the risk of transmitting the coronavirus throughout a flight.
A number of incidents of passengers refusing to put on masks have made headlines, together with a case of a person reportedly threatening a Delta worker over a masks dispute and a flight being compelled again to the gate after a girl on board refused to placed on a mask.
Different airways have additionally had their share of troublesome passengers. A pair flying to Hawaii with United Airlines was reportedly arrested after boarding an aircraft after testing positive for the coronavirus.
