Delta Adds 460 People Not Wearing Masks to No-Fly List

Delta Air Lines announced it has added around 460 passengers to its no-fly list after they refused to wear a facial covering before, during or after a flight.

According to NBCNews.com, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in an internal memo Thursday that wearing a mask “is among the simplest and most effective actions we can take to reduce transmission” of COVID-19.

Delta initially began requiring passengers to wear masks in May and have not wavered from their stance since. The travelers who refuse to wear a facial covering are removed from the airline’s planes and added to the no-fly list.

Masks are just one of the latest measures taken by Delta to ensure the health and safety of its passengers. Bastian acknowledged the devastation caused by coronavirus on the company, but said “reversing the airline’s fortunes depends on fighting the pandemic.”

Earlier this month, a Harvard study showed that disinfecting plane cabins is a key part of a multi-layered public health risk-reduction strategy, validating many of Delta’s current policies.

In addition, the carrier announced it extended some loyalty benefits put in place this year into 2021 to allow more SkyMiles Members the opportunity to use the perks they earned but were not able to this year because of COVID-19.