Airlines were making a comeback. Then the Delta variant cut demand as concerns regarding air travel increased. Being in the travel business we have continued to fly, taking precautions as many others have. We will note that all airlines have a mask policy, enhanced cleaning procedures, and other methods that they are using to mitigate the risk or Covid. (The mask mandate is also a federal requirement). But we have also noticed that different airlines enforce their own policies to different degrees. Passengers may also be more, or less, inclined to wear a mask depending on the airline or route. So how has airline mask compliance been? This article is obviously an observation and not a scientific study. Your experience may differ. But we thought that we would share our experiences with how airline mask compliance has been on the airlines that we’ve flown during the pandemic.

Alaska Airlines comes out on top with mask compliance. The vast majority of passengers are fully masked and don’t need to be reminded. But the flight crew will put out friendly reminders to the entire cabin during the duration of the flight. If a mask slips, flight attendants politely remind passengers to correctly mask up. Beverage service is reduced with only a bottle of water offered on shorter flights in the main cabin. Longer flights have the usual soft drinks, juices, coffee, etcetera. Passengers generally pull masks back up if they take a long break between sips or bites. We felt safer on Alaska flights that we did eating indoors at most restaurants.

Just a slight step below, regarding mask compliance, is Delta. Flight attendants still strongly enforce mask wearing. But unlike Alaska there seemed to be a few more passengers who didn’t want to comply. But a couple of people out of over 150 still wasn’t bad. We give Delta extra points for being the airline that blocked middle seats the longest. But that policy is no longer in effect. (No major airlines are blocking seats anymore). Typical beverage service is available in the main cabin and crew do remind passengers to pull up masks between sips or bites. We never felt unsafe on their extensive route map.

Our experience on United is really a tie with Delta. But we’ve flown United less than Delta during the pandemic. Therefore, we put Delta ahead based on consistency over more flights. But we also never felt uncomfortable on a United flight. United is offering the usual complimentary drink and snack options in the main cabin. But be aware that they have gone totally contactless with on board payment to reduce cross contamination. If you wish to purchase alcohol or a snack box you will need to have entered a credit card into UAL’s website or app. They no longer accept credit cards on board.

We have enjoyed American Airlines over the years and will continue to do so. But if high mask compliance is a priority for you, American is at the bottom of the heap. By a long way. Earlier in the pandemic we had some very bad experiences, including flight attendants not wearing masks and assisting passengers in avoiding wearing a mask. (Handing out bottles of water to mask less passengers so that they could pretend to drink for the duration of the flight). They have greatly improved since then. But this is still the airline on which you are the most likely to have a non-mask compliant person near you. Masks are also required in all US airports. But we found American’s hubs to be the most lacking in compliance. We hope that they continue to improve.

We have not yet flown on JetBlue during the pandemic. But will be this week. If they end up being exceptionally good, or bad, we’ll let you know.

Travel is important to us and to our clientele. We want those who continue to travel to take the appropriate precautions and make informed decisions. Due to this we want to share our experiences with you. Purple Light Vacations is also staying on top of the ever-changing travel requirements in popular destinations around the world. We still get a thrill out of finding you the perfect hotel, guided tour, or other travel experience. But we will also discuss the risks and difficulties for travel in these exceptional times. We hope you found this article on our experiences with airline mask compliance of help.