An internal memo from Delta Airlines reveals that the major carrier has added 460 customers to its official "no-fly list," due to their refusal to wear required face masks during flights.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian wrote the memo to all Delta employees Thursday, reminding them that the reason the company requires masks is because it is "among the simplest and most effective actions" that can be taken to reduce spread of COVID-19. Customers who were unwilling to abide by the policy would be barred from future flights.
Delta, like most other air carriers, have been requiring face masks for all passengers since public health officials declared them effective in slowing viral transmission. Bastian stressed the importance of maintaining the policy as the winter months, notorious for being virus season, approaches in the United States.
"With the cold-weather months approaching," the CEO wrote in his memo, "stopping the spread will be crucial to our recovery from the pandemic and Delta's return to growth and leadership within our industry."
Many airlines, like American and Southwest, prevent passengers from boarding the plane without wearing a mask in order to avoid altercations on the aircraft.
