For nearly two years now, we’ve more or less all been wearing face masks on planes. Many people can’t help but wonder if this requirement will ever be lifted, and if so, when. Well, one airline in the UK has just made face masks optional. Will this airline be an outlier, or is this a sign of things to come?
Jet2 makes face masks optional on most flights
British ultra low cost carrier Jet2 has just updated its face mask policy in a major way:
- For flights departing England and Northern Ireland, use of face masks is now optional; this won’t apply for flights from Scotland, where it’s still a legal requirement
- The use of face masks is no longer legally required, but per UK government guidance, use of face masks is still recommended
- Given varying policies in different countries, Jet2 will require face masks when landing at international airports, and when arriving at those airports
While Jet2 isn’t a global airline, the carrier does have a fleet of nearly 100 aircraft, and operates to 70 destinations across Europe.
Jet2 is the first airline I know of to eliminate the face mask requirement on such a widespread basis. However, it’s not the first airline to make face masks optional in certain regions. In October 2021, SAS announced that face masks would be optional on flights within Nordic countries.
For that matter, in early 2021 Cathay Pacific added a face mask exemption for first & business class passengers when sleeping, arguing that there was sufficient privacy and separation, so there was no need for masks in bed mode.
When will other airlines eliminate mask requirements?
Unfortunately the concept of airlines ending face mask requirements is pretty complex:
- In many cases you have government mandates around face masks, so airlines don’t have much of a choice
- People have differing views on how necessary masks are when vaccines are available on a widespread basis; some people would of course welcome face mask requirements being eliminated, while others would be extremely uncomfortable
- Then there’s the general challenge of consistency — some destinations will likely require masks for years to come, so it’s complicated for airlines to require masks on some flights but not others, require them during some phases of flight but not others, etc.
In the United States the current federal transportation mask mandate applies through March 18, 2022. However, it could be extended again, as it has been in the past. If I had to speculate, I think the mask mandate will be extended at least one more time, perhaps through very late spring or early summer.
Even if that were to happen, it’s anyone’s guess if US airlines would end their own policies of requiring face masks, which existed before the mandate was put in place. For example, the UK no longer requires face masks on planes, but we’re not seeing all airlines adjust policies accordingly — Jet2 will no longer require masks, while airlines like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic do. Some airlines are going based on the bare minimum legal requirements, while others are going based on recommendations.
Bottom line
UK low cost carrier Jet2 has just become the first airline to make face masks optional on most flights. The airline is now only requiring masks on flights from Scotland (in line with government regulations), plus at foreign airports, where masks may be required. While we’ve seen SAS waive its face mask requirements for flights within Scandinavia, I’d say this is more significant.
It’s anyone’s guess when other airlines will follow. The first step is for government face mask mandates to be lifted, and then the second step is for airlines to decide to modify their policies. I guess the next big question is whether British Airways and Virgin Atlantic start to lift their mandates, since this is no longer a UK requirement (though it is a requirement at many destinations).
In the US we still have the federal transportation mask mandate through mid-March, though there’s a very good chance that gets extended.
When do you think we’ll see mask optional flights on a widespread basis?
(Tip of the hat to Paddle Your Own Kanoo)
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