Travellers refusing to wear face masks on planes will be temporarily banned from US airlines

'Customers on this list will lose their travel privileges for a duration of time to be determined pending a comprehensive incident review'

Airlines in the US have made moves to ban passengers who refuse to wear face coverings onboard. AP Photos

American Airlines and United Airlines have both announced that they will temporarily ban passengers who refuse to wear face masks. They had previously announced they would refuse boarding those without face masks, but a denial of future travel is a new policy.

"American, like other US airlines, already requires customers to wear a face covering while on board aircraft. American already enforces this policy at the gate and will deny boarding to customers who don’t comply," American Airlines said in a statement on Monday, June 15. "American now may also deny future travel for customers who refuse to wear a face covering. American made this change after working in conjunction with Airlines for America on an industry wide response."

"We believe the face covering requirement is important, so customers will notice more reminders of our policy as they travel with us, both at the airport and in flight," the statement continues.

American Airline's policy goes into effect today, Tuesday, June 16.

On Monday, United Airlines also announced stronger PPE policies.

"While the overwhelming majority of passengers are complying with United's mandatory policy, starting on June 18, any passenger that does not comply when onboard a United flight will be placed on an internal travel restriction list," the airline's statement reads. "Customers on this list will lose their travel privileges on United for a duration of time to be determined pending a comprehensive incident review."

"Every reputable heath institution says wearing a mask is one of the most effective things people can do to protect others from contracting Covid-19, especially in places like an aircraft, where social distancing is a challenge," said United Airlines's chief customer officer, Toby Enqvist.

"We have been requiring our customers to wear masks onboard United aircraft since May 4 and we have been pleased that the overwhelming majority of passengers readily comply with our policy.

"Today's announcement is an unmistakable signal that we're prepared to take serious steps, if necessary, to protect our customers and crew."

Which passengers are exempt from wearing face masks? 

American Airlines made sure to specify circumstances in which passengers aren't expected to wear their face masks onboard.

"Some passengers are exempt from the face covering requirement, such as young children and those with a disability or medical reason for why they cannot wear a face covering," the statement reads. "The policy also does not apply while eating or drinking."

The body that has worked with the airlines on this policy is Airlines For America (A4A), a trade group that represents major North American airlines: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, Federal Express Corporation, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and UPS Airlines; Air Canada is an Associate Airline Member.