We’ve heard about airline passengers who refuse to wear personal protection equipment onboard. What about the ones who wear too much?
Airlines have varying policies on what personal protection equipment (PPE) passengers are allowed to wear onboard. For example, Air France and KLM prohibit cloth masks, requiring everyone wear single-use surgical masks instead.
And last week American Airlines sent this memo on “Prohibited Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)” to its customer care agents:
Our customers can be creative when it comes to face coverings. Thanks to your photos and descriptions of customers’ Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), we want to share the types of “recreational” items and PPE that are not allowed on our flights. Specifically:
Personal face / body tents
Personal face / body pods
Personal air purifiers / refreshers
Ozone generators
Here are some tips on what to do if you see a customer using any non-approved mask or face shield:
Politely remind them of our policy
Advise them that these types of PPE are safety concerns, especially tents / pods which can slow access to critical safety procedures, including emergency evacuations and use of oxygen masks
Not sure a body tent is “recreational,” but I get the safety concern. During an emergency evacuation, would you like to fight your way through a cabin filled with people in these?
Or even these?
Just a thought: If you only feel comfortable on a plane wearing a big plastic tent, perhaps you shouldn’t be flying right now.
Twist’s Take: Before donning in-flight PPE, make sure it complies with airline policy.
