- Facemasks required on Ryanair and EasyJet flights
In addition to asking staff for permission to use the toilet, as Ryanair aims to restart 40 percent of its flights from 1 July, it was announced last week that passengers will be required to wear facemasks on board all it’s aircraft.
Ryanair’s Group CEO Michael O’Leary said that he welcomed the European Union’s recommendation on face masks, although he called again on the Irish and UK Government to abandon their unexplainable, ineffective, and unimplementable quarantine restrictions.
EasyJet says it too would require the wearing of face masks for all those aboard its aircraft as the airline planned to resume a small number of flights next month with strict safety protocols for passengers and crew alike, one of which will be the removal of the food service on board its planes.
The company said it would likely operate domestic flights within the UK and France from 15 June with the only international service being Gatwick to Nice initially.
In a 28 page guide issued last week the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has said that everyone, passengers and crew, will be expected to wear masks, however, Jet2 continues to publish the advice of Public Health England (PHE) on its website which advises against using masks outside clinical settings. PHE state that If you’re fit and well, with no symptoms, there’s no evidence that wearing facemasks as a general prevention measure is helpful.
The airline had initially scheduled the resumption of its flights for mid-June, with June 17 earmarked as the likeliest date. But this has now been delayed until July 1, which will come as a huge blow for people with flights and holidays booked next month.
Airlines have also toyed with the idea of blocking off the middle seat to keep passengers further apart but whether this is mandatory will depend on where you are flying. It is not currently required in Europe and the US.
