Major airlines make face masks compulsory for passengers
Passengers will be required to wear face masks or cover their nose and mouth on all Lufthansa Group airlines from May 4.
This includes on Eurowings, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines.
Wizz Air has announced that passengers on its re-launched flights from Luton, due to start on Friday, will also have to wear face masks.
Lufthansa said "It’s recommended that passengers wear them throughout the flight and at the airport both before and after the flight whenever the required minimum distance cannot be guaranteed without restriction."
Passengers will be expected to bring their own face coverings, which can be a mask or just a scarf if they prefer," said Lufthansa.
"The airline will inform passengers in advance by SMS or email on their respective websites," it said.
The requirement for passengers to cover their faces will apply at least until August 31.
Lufthansa will no longer keep every other seat free to maintain social distancing on flights, but it said that due to the current low occupancy rate, seats will be allocated ‘as widely as possible’.
US carrier United said all its crew will be required to wear face masks until the end of May and it will be issuing face masks for passengers from early May.
The airline will continue to sell only every other seat on flights and alternating window and aisle seats where these are in pairs. Boarding procedures have also been amended to maintain social distancing.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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