Flying Out Of Milwaukee? Several Airlines Now Require Face Masks

MILWAUKEE, WI — People flying out of Milwaukee on will need to wear masks before boarding flights after several airlines announced that all customers will be required to wear a face mask or appropriate face covering when traveling, officials said Friday.

"This move comes on the heels of our announcement earlier this week requiring employees worldwide to wear face masks if they are unable to maintain six feet of distance with customers or each other," an official announcement from Delta Airlines read this week. "This requirement for our people helps set the example for our customers to follow as well."

“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our people and our customers,” said Bill Lentsch, Chief Customer Experience Officer from Delta Airlines said in a statement. “While we remain committed to our new standard of clean and to providing more space for our customers when they travel, we take seriously the CDC guidelines for adding this extra layer of protection. We believe this change will give customers and employees some additional comfort when traveling with us.”

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According to Conde Nast Traveler, the new provisions will affect fewer people than before. "On April 7, the total amount of U.S. fliers screened by the TSA fell below 100,000 for the first time in the agency’s history. That’s a 95 percent drop compared to the passenger numbers from the same day in 2019, when 2,091,056 people passed through the checkpoints," they wrote.

Airline Jet Blue made a similar announcement on April 27, which requires all customers wear a face covering during travel starting May 4. That's in addition to a mandate that all crew members wear face coverings while working.

American Airlines is requiring all aboard their flights wear face coverings starting on May 11.

Frontier Airlines is requiring people wear coverings over their nose and mouth at the airline's ticket counters, gate areas and on board flights starting on May 8. Face coverings have been required for flight crews since April 13, company officials said.

Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport has several guidelines in place to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, though has not issued a unilateral requirement that all airport visitors wear face coverings as of May 1.

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