Air Travel: Cloth Masks on Some No-Fly Lists; Some Europe Airlines Req. Surg. Masks, Respirators

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- 'Why cloth masks are on some airlines’ no-fly lists. Some airlines, mostly in Europe, are requiring surgical masks or respirators.' Washington Post, Sept. 4, 2021.

Air travelers need to do more than just remember to bring a mask — they need to bring the right kind. A handful of airlines, mostly in Europe, have banned cloth face coverings in favor of higher-standard versions including surgical masks or respirators. Last month, Finnair joined a list that includes Air France, Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines and Croatia Airlines.

“The health and safety of our customers and crew is our first priority, and fabric masks are slightly less efficient at protecting people from infection than surgical masks,” Finnair spokeswoman Heidi Lemmetyinen said in an email. The airline allows surgical masks and filtering respirators such as FFP2 or FFP3, as well as others that are equivalent to the N95 standard.

While U.S. airlines do have some restrictions on masks — none with valves are allowed, for example — they do not prohibit travelers from wearing cloth or fabric versions. The federal mask mandate for planes, trains and buses has been extended until mid-January. “Some studies show a modest improvement of efficacy of surgical masks compared with cloth masks,” said Perry Flint, a spokesman for the International Air Transport Association. “But any face covering has shown to significantly reduce spread of aerosols, and at this point we have not taken a position on what types of face masks should be required.”

Experts say it’s a smart idea for more airlines to get specific about the types of face coverings they allow and to only allow those that meet high standards. “It is very important because different masks have different filtration capabilities,” said Purvi Parikh, an immunologist at NYU Langone Health, in an email. “A plane is a place that is indoors and many people in a close space and very difficult to social distance — so masks can make a big difference especially with the delta variant.”..

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2021/09/03/cloth-masks-airline-banned-covid/

- Watch Video, *How To Properly Wear A Double Mask* at Link Above,

- BBC, Feb. 2021.