Delta: Wear a mask or you may be banned from future flights

Delta Air Lines Inc. says individuals who refuse to wear masks are at risk of missing out on future Delta flights.

In a memo to employees on Thursday, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the Atlanta-based carrier could ban customers who refuse to wear face coverings. As it attempts to relaunch its business amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Delta requires all employees and customers to wear masks in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

But during a June 22 interview with Axios on HBO, Bastian admitted Delta flight attendants would not forcibly remove bare-faced customers from flights because there is no federal mandate regarding masks.

In May, Reuters reported that Delta, along with American Airlines and United Airlines, would instruct employees to deny boarding to anyone not wearing a mask at the gate. However, the airlines did not have immediate recourse for customers who removed their masks once on board a flight.

"We take the requirement to wear a mask very seriously," Bastian said in the June 25 memo. "Customers who choose not to comply with this or any other safety requirement risk losing their future flight privileges with Delta. So far, there have thankfully only been a handful of cases, but we have already banned some passengers from future travel on Delta for refusing to wear masks on board."

A Delta spokesperson declined to confirm whether refusal to wear a mask will result in an automatic ban, or if each incident will receive consideration. It is unclear how long the bans will last.

Bastian in the memo noted the recent spike of Covid-19 cases in different regions across the United States and said the mask policy is in place to protect the airline's employees and customers and that it is aligned with rules set by Airlines for America, the commercial aviation lobbying group.

"One of the most effective measures we have is wearing a mask, which numerous studies have shown can slow the spread of the virus," Bastian said. "They are required for our customers as well as our people, and passengers must follow crew member instruction to properly wear them in flight."

During Delta's annual shareholder meeting June 18, Bastian revealed roughly 500 employees have contracted Covid-19 and 10 have died.

A June 12 study published by researchers at Texas A&M University found that "not wearing a face mask dramatically increases a person's chances of being infected by the Covid-19 virus."

"We conclude that wearing a face mask in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent inter-human transmission," wrote Renyi Zhang, Texas A&M distinguished professor of atmospheric sciences, per Science Daily. "This inexpensive practice, in conjunction with social distancing and other procedures, is the most likely opportunity to stop the Covid-19 pandemic."