NEWS
Tui says it made ‘multiple announcements’ to passengers on a flight from Greece to Cardiff to adhere to safety protocols
Passengers who flout mask rules ‘damage the industry’
Ian Taylor
Industry leaders have urged travellers to respect rules on face coverings when flying after media reports of passengers on a Tui flight removing masks and moving around the cabin. Tui rejected the alleged
STORY TOP
breaches of Covid-safety rules, but a senior industry source warned: “It’s not good for anyone’s confidence. Every airline is exposed on this.” An Iata spokesman described the
face mask rule as “unequivocal”, saying: “When a passenger buys a ticket, they agree to abide by the rules of travel. The crew have the right to disembark the passenger. The same way you don’t smoke on aircraft, if you’re asked to wear a mask you must comply.” Alan Bowen, legal advisor to the Association of Atol Companies,
travelweekly.co.uk
said: “The story picked up by the media, that Tui wasn’t enforcing the rules, may well not be the case but it won’t encourage people to go anywhere. It doesn’t reflect well on the travel industry as a whole. I fear it won’t help bookings and may add to the pressure to impose quarantine restrictions on Greece.” Iata director general
Alexandre de Juniac agreed:
“This behaviour is damaging for the industry. We agreed these measures; we should implement them strictly and not have any compromises.” All 193 passengers and crew
on board the Tui flight from Zante to Cardiff on August 25 are being forced to self-isolate for 14 days after 16 people on board tested positive for Covid-19. One passenger subsequently told the BBC fellow passengers had removed masks or
The story picked
up by the media may well not be the case but it won’t encourage people to go anywhere
worn them under their chins. Government and industry
guidelines require passengers and crew to wear face coverings throughout their time in the airport and on board a flight, with exemptions only for medical reasons or while eating or drinking. In a statement, Tui said:
“Following an initial investigation, we’re confident that multiple announcements took place via the PA and individual conversations with customers to reinforce protocols, and other customers on the flight
have confirmed these findings.” An aviation industry source said:
“This is a disruptive incident like [excess] drinking on a flight. It’s not easy for staff to enforce and we don’t want to get into the realms of a heavy-handed response, but crew have wide-ranging powers.” An airline source agreed, saying:
“Crews have powers to enforce [the rules], but airlines report passenger compliance is good. This could be an isolated case.” Iata noted airlines have “the right
to refuse carriage to a person whose behaviour . . . causes other passengers to feel unsafe”. Dr David Powell, Iata medical
advisor, said: “The primary objective of masks on board is to protect other passengers, not the wearer. The face- covering requirement will probably remain until there is no widespread community transmission [of Covid].”
3 SEPTEMBER 2020 5
PICTURE: Ben Queenborough/PinPep
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
