American Airlines announced on Thursday that all customers will be required to wear a face mask while on-board the plane starting May 11.
The airlines said a face covering will be required by each passenger while on-board an American flight. Very young passengers and those with conditions that prevent them from wearing a face covering will be exempt from the requirement.
“The American Airlines team continues to prioritize the safety of our customers and team members, and requiring a face covering is one more way we can protect those on our aircraft,” said Kurt Stache, Senior Vice President of Customer Experience.
Starting tomorrow, American will start distributing sanitizing wipes and face coverings to customers as they board. The distribution will expand to all flights as supplies and operational conditions allow.
“Beginning May 1, we’re provisioning masks and sanitizing wipes for customers on select flights when they board. We will roll this out as quickly as possible and these kits will be widely available across our network in the coming weeks. In the meantime, customers should bring their own masks or face coverings,” said Stache.
Earlier Thursday, American Airlines reported a staggering loss of $2.24 billion for the first quarter, when the coronavirus pandemic triggered a sharp drop in air travel. The airline’s revenue fell 19% while costs continued to rise even as the virus spread.
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*Map locations are approximate, central locations for the city and are not meant to indicate where actual infected people live.
Coronavirus Deaths in Your City and State — and Across the US
These charts use daily coronavirus death data from Johns Hopkins University to show the seven-day moving average of deaths at the city, state and country level.
The impact of coronavirus varies enormously in the United States from one place to another.
Source: Johns Hopkins University.
Credit: Visuals by Amy O’Kruk/NBC, data analysis by Ron Campbell/NBC
