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No more medical exemptions: Alaska Airlines says anyone who can't or won't wear a mask won't be allowed to fly
Alaska Airlines is the latest airline to announce it will no longer allow medical exemptions from its mask-wearing requirement. The carrier said that if a passenger was unwilling or unable to wear one, they would not be permitted to fly. Despite evidence that wearing masks can significantly limit the spread of the coronavirus, masks have become a flashpoint for conflicts aboard flights (as well as elsewhere). Alaska Airlines said on Wednesday that it will no longer fly passengers who are… (www.yahoo.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Per my friend and neighbor, professor of pulmonary medicine at the local med school, instances in which a mask would be medically contraindicated would be vanishingly rare. That said, I share the concern of others regarding emotional support animals. I've flown many a guide dog and other service animals with nary a problem while "support" animals have frequently caused issues. I returned a flight to the gate once to deplane a woman with an absolutely out of control cat. To her credit, the woman agreed that the cat couldn't fly and apologized profusely to the FAs, the pax, and to the FO and me.
I'll echo this. I've worn masks at less than 30% lung function while on supplemental oxygen and on the lung transplant list with out issue. I have many friends who have done the same and they're all very pro mask.
I won't be able to fly.
When I wear a mask, it starts my skin itching.
I can last a few minutes okay, an hour at a time with considerable discomfort, but after that, it starts looking like I'm having an allergic reaction, and the longer I wear the mask, the more of my body starts to itch. I already have skin problems (was asked if it's contagious by a manager at work once)... there is no way I can fly from SEA to PHL to visit my son now. Not on Alaska anyway.
I'm thinking it won't be long until someone files an ADA lawsuit against them.
When I wear a mask, it starts my skin itching.
I can last a few minutes okay, an hour at a time with considerable discomfort, but after that, it starts looking like I'm having an allergic reaction, and the longer I wear the mask, the more of my body starts to itch. I already have skin problems (was asked if it's contagious by a manager at work once)... there is no way I can fly from SEA to PHL to visit my son now. Not on Alaska anyway.
I'm thinking it won't be long until someone files an ADA lawsuit against them.
Im sorry you are unable to fly.
Perhaps you can try a different type of mask? Im sure that masks exist which fully encapsulate your face without actually touching your face itself.
Perhaps you can try a different type of mask? Im sure that masks exist which fully encapsulate your face without actually touching your face itself.
The ADA is irrelevant. The ACAA (Air Carrier Access Act) gives the airlines the right to do what they are doing.
ADA requires a company to make a REASONABLE accommodation not totally accommodate. Flying is also not a right. And while I am empathetic to your condition, itchy skin is not a disability. With the easy spread of Covid-19 in a confined environment, that suit would have no merit.
Airlines are exempt from ADA
To a point. They still have to make accomodations for boarding passengers with disabilities as well as helping them get to the gate. The ACAA sets different rules as well. They are allowed to ask for certain things, especially when it pertains to service/support animals.
That would fall to the AIRPORT to handle that, which is the public place, not the AIRLINE. Once you leave the jetway and enter the aircraft, the ADA's jurisdiction ends, as you've left the airport (the public place) and entered the aircraft (the private company).
It is the airlines that are required to help passengers with disabilities through the airport:
https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/wheelchair-and-guided-assistance
"Assistance at the Airport
When a passenger with a disability requests assistance from an airline to move through the airport, the airline is required to promptly provide the requested assistance. This assistance may be guide assistance for an individual who is blind or wheelchair assistance for an individual with a mobility impairment. To receive such assistance, the passenger must self-identify to airline staff at the airport as the person with a disability needing this service."
https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/wheelchair-and-guided-assistance
"Assistance at the Airport
When a passenger with a disability requests assistance from an airline to move through the airport, the airline is required to promptly provide the requested assistance. This assistance may be guide assistance for an individual who is blind or wheelchair assistance for an individual with a mobility impairment. To receive such assistance, the passenger must self-identify to airline staff at the airport as the person with a disability needing this service."