Update: American Airlines has made a similar announcement. Face coverings must be worn by kids 2+. In addition coverings must be worn in areas under American Airlines control (e.g check in, lounges boarding).
Original post: United has announced an update to its face covering policy. All passengers are now required to wear face coverings in the airport (including United customer service counters and kiosks, United Club locations, our gates and our baggage claim areas). Previously United was only requiring passengers to wear masks in flight when not eating or drinking. Masks will also be required to be worn by children over the age of two years old.
This new requirement will go into effect on July 24th. Unlike other airlines United does not have a policy of blocking middle seats/socially distancing in flight. United has claimed that other airlines are doing this as a marketing ploy rather than a public health reason despite a study stating that keeping middle seats empty could cut the risk of transmission by as much as 50%.
If an airline is going to require a mask in flight, it makes sense to also require this during the boarding and check in process. I’d like to see some more information on why the age of 2+ was introduced by United. United seems to be doing the maximum possible without actually incurring any costs (e.g no blocking of seats, no medical consult for not wearing a mask).
