Lufthansa Group airlines now require surgical, KN95, or N95 masks onboard their flights. Cloth and homemade masks are no longer acceptable.
Children under the age of 6 do not have to wear masks on Lufthansa Group airlines.
Lufthansa Group airlines include Star Alliance carriers Austrian, Brussels, Lufthansa, and Swiss.
This comes after countries like France and Germany are banning cloth and homemade masks and mandating more protective masks in the face of new COVID variants.
The Biden White House has been moving towards the N95 standard as well.
One of the reasons that the US was slow to enact a mask recommendation was the fear that the general public would snap up surgical and N95 masks needed by healthcare workers. Eventually the CDC compromised by recommending cloth masks, so that the genera public wouldn’t take away more protective masks needed by frontline workers. But with the supply of more protective masks increasing, we may see a nationwide N95 mark recommendation in the US as well.
While N95s were selling for greater than $10 each online last year, the price has plummeted and can now be found for as low as $1.16 each on Amazon. They may make you look like a duck, but nobody is wearing masks for their looks and the breathing pocket on those makes them more comfortable than some less protective masks.
Loading ...
Leave a Reply
71 Comments On "Starting Today, Lufthansa Group Airlines Require Surgical Or N95 Masks"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
Ohhhhh so cloth masks don’t work!? Shocking information as WE HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS SINCE MARCH
Nobody said they don’t work. Cloth masks protect other people. N95s protect yourself as well.
Cloth masks don’t really protect other people that great vs. a surgical. Try blowing out a candle with a cloth mask and you’ll be quite disturbed at the result
Depends on the mask of course. But yes, surgical and N95s are much better.
So where do you think the air blows out? from all the sides… If anything you need filtration not deflection.
All my cloth masks pass the candle test. I made many of them myself. I trust them more than the cheap surgical masks. I’ve been wearing double layer masks for many months now. After my second shot I might go back to wearing only 1.
But your still allowed to take it off to eat on the airplane “science”
What’s the other option? Force people to fast for a 12 hour flight?
Granted, it’s far from perfect, but reduced exposure is still better than the alternative.
But what about on a flight that’s shorter than 12 hours?
So where do you draw the line?
On 2 hour flights you can’t drink but on 3 hour flights you can?
You draw the line like with any public policy issue: what level of risk we are willing to tolerate, vs. what level of risk mitigation we consider too odious. We require seatbelts and airbags, but we don’t ban non-emergency vehicles, meaning that we accept 36,000 vehicular deaths per year. We require masks in public places, but we don’t prohibit people from leaving their homes entirely. And so on. You could try to calculate the risk of flying with masks off for eating, and to take your example, if it’s 1.5 times as high for the 3 hour flight as for the 2 hour flight, and the acceptable cost-benefit ratio lies between the two, well there you go.
if you recall there was a line, feels like a million years ago, on how long a flight could be before you can smoke on it! And they even had smoking and none smoking seating sections
Are we comparing drinking water to smoking?
Just stating they need to draw a line somewhere as to how long flights need to be before service maybe provided or when it is acceptable to remove masks and for how long. Just like smoking on a flight before it was banned completely the line was flights over 6 hours. Of course there is always some people who will try and defy no matter who it may impact
Are they giving out these masks at the gate? Not that many Americans have them.
I wear a KN95 on airplanes because why not. But I am under no illusion that they actually work. Science says they will also be useless in the general public. But we have a very strong Mask Cult now and until we all realize we’re just worshiping a false God, we’ll probably go crazier for “better masks” first.
As far as I can tell science says KN95 masks actually work and offer you higher protection than other types of masks.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-masks-will-protect-you-better-than-others-11606081251
The WSJ is NOT a reliable source for Covid science. There is not a single scientific study that establishes that ANY mask worn by the general public does any good to prevent catching a respiratory virus. And there are lots of studies which show they do not work. Heck, we’re not even entirely sure that FITTED N95 masks work in hospitals (they probably don’t when used without other extensive PPE). This is established science that has been ignored in the hopes of wishful thinking during Covid times. It’s simply a widespread irrational delusion. The results speak for themselves.
That’s an awfully broad and counter-intuitive position that’s gonna need a lot of heavy lifting for it to be true. “There is not a single scientific study that establishes that ANY mask worn by the general public does any good to prevent catching a respiratory virus. ”
I’m not even going to open a dialogue on this without you telling me exactly what evidence you WOULD accept.
The article was not written by a wsj reporter it was written by a former commissioner of the FDA.
I’m not sure about the second part of your comment as here is a study from the scientific journal influenza https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/irv.12745
What results are you talking about? Am I missing something?
You may be under no illusion, but your illusory premise is actually the truth, and your beliefs are a fantasy.
It is an uncontested scientific fact that KN95 masks work *both* to protect the wearer and others.
The bigger issue is that the Biden administration is requiring 2 years old to wear masks, so even Delta can’t allow that anymore. Unbelievable that no one has the brains to roll that back.
Delta.com still has the exemption in place. I’ve asked them for comment but haven’t heard back yet.
I’m surprised that not one airline rolled back the requirement yet. It’s beyond ridiculous to expect a 2 year old to wear a mask, and there has been plenty of backlash, but apparently not enough.
Yup, not enough backlash.
Just don’t fly with your 2 year old.
we flew back and forth to FL on UAL a few weeks back and our 2.5 year old didn’t have a mask at all… our older children barely had theirs one – no one bothered us except for a nasty lady 1 row behind us 🙂
Always going to be YMMV depending on the flight attendant.
I was waiting for that.
so why don’t they require newborns too to wear masks?
Completely nuts!! This administration is either clueless about children or has something against them!
I’m sure planned parenthood etc. supports this nonsense!!
This is beyond absurd!
The price for the N95 you linked from Amazon is 57$ !
That’s for 50 disposable N95 masks.
You must be new around here if you correct Dan without double-checking. $57 for a pack of 50 = $1.16 each
This country’s federal government response has been pretty pathetic, along with the irresponsible, selfish people who just aren’t intelligent enough to understand safety protocols are all WE have in this WAR against the virus until vaccines come. Now we are living with the consequences. Really, did not have to be this bad. Just look at how do much better less ” advanced” countries are handling this, look.it up on the Internet
yes Israel’s doing great w/ their military enforced lockdowns… wow!
Hope they don’t outlaw us bearded folks.
N95’s don’t really have much advantage if you have facial hair, since the mask doesn’t seal against the skin.
It’s certainly less than 95%, but certainly more than a cloth mask.
What clinical trial are you basing that statement on? A citation is certainly required for a definitive statement like that.
Good old common sense.
It’s clearly more difficult to breath (or blow out a candle) in an N95 than a cloth mask, even with a full beard.
Do I need a study to show water is wet?
Nobody said anything about blowing out a candle. The air is still escaping out the side unfiltered, the same as in a homemade mask. That’s why we are required to be fit tested for N95 masks. If done properly the facial hair will absolutely have to be trimmed to allow a tight seal.
Not even close. Obviously you’re not getting a tight seal, but calling it the same as a flimsy cloth mask?
LOL
That’s why I asked if you had any data to back up your statement and you clearly do not. I could be sued for medical malpractice if I give advice without proper data. I’ve dealt with coronavirus epidemiology for over 20 years in my career. You need to be careful about making false statements without evidence. Your statement would not even last on Wikipedia without a citation.
Love how the airline industry sponsors a “Study” by Harvard explaining why flying is ok but the restaurant lobby could not figure out how to stay open. IMO, the NY restaurant lobby is doing a pretty terrible job.
But back to regular programming, if that Harvard study is correct and regular masks were totally ok to fly with why change it now? Are they admitting that it was unsafe previously but they wanted to remain in business? Or is it always just about the money?
Or is it just going for a miniscule chance of catching it to a slightly more miniscule chance? In that case we should never not have a mask since there is always a minuscule chance of catching something. We are talking about powerball style odds at this point.
https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2443/2020/10/Phase-One-Report-Highlights-1.pdf
Side note – none of the flights I was on had any middle seats empty so there goes that piece of fake news.
There is a well documented flight from London to Vietnam where Covid was spread. This was before masks but the aircraft did have modern air systems that are supposedly so wonderful. So despite the great systems disease spread on flights.
The instant a mask is removed we are back to that scenario, even if it just for a drink or a snack or two.
What of vaccinated folks?
No difference.
few days ago anthony fauci said that we need two masks it will better protect. so could be will need few mask we can take one from each… but looks to me that soon will not need any more Covid to get sick. put a few masks and this will make sick. I believe that time to come to move on and do what Israel is doing be giving Vaccines to every one and not wasting time all day of regulation. This is the only way moving forward.
better hope those vaccines are safe – w/ Israel being the guinea pig for the world. i liked bibi but seems like he’s convinced this is the only way he’ll be reelected…
And he’s right. Israel may be the only safe place to visit this summer.
Silly argument anyway, countless people are dying of COVID or have long-term COVID induced health problems while adverse vaccine reactions are few and far between.
thats certainly the media’s line… did you read the warning label on the vaccine? hasn’t been enough time to properly test things (esp. long term affects)
1. Nearly all vaccine side effects present themselves within days.
2. When you have a shema and a bari, what exactly is the logical argument to not vaccinate? We know that COVID has killed millions and that it has terrible long-term effects, never mind all of the economic problems. Everyone knows people who have died from COVID, it’s not like it’s made up…
You say “but what if the vaccine might have a long-term side effect,” but why do you assume that a potential long term vaccine side effect will be worse than COVID’s long-term effects that are already proven and more are still being uncovered every day?
“Covid killed millions” – of nursing home residents. You and me and all of us here know that 99%+ of healthy people under 65 who get COVID are perfectly fine… you can tell u don’t live in bklyn or monsry or lakewood Dan!
My grandmother was not a nursing home resident. Nor was my pediatrician, Dr. Hirsch. Nor was PG Waxman, Rabbi Waldman, R’ EM Sorotzkin, Rabbi Busel, R’ Shmuel Miller veishto, Rabbi Halberstam, Rabbi Fendel, Rabbi Cohen, or the hundreds of other people (many quite young) who have passed away from our community in “bklyn or monsry or lakewood”.
Yes homemade no homemade –
KIDS UNDER 6YO DO NOT NEED MASKS!
All airlines should follow up with this.
Everyone needs to wear a mask to minimize transfer to others. If compliance will not happen due to age, keep the child at home. I am a parent and have raised my kids. I get it but can not see a permit to spread disease. STAY HOME, DON’T TRAVEL if that is what it takes.
I have a retail business and it is astounding and disappointing when frum women walk in with no mask or wrapping a thin kerchief around their mouth just to enter. these people still do not get it.
I am a parent and have kids. The safety issue is still there so I support mandatory mask use at any age. Obviously there is an issue so just stay home if compliance will not happen. With the exception of health care nothing is so important that a non compliant kid has to go out and spread disease that might kill others.
Simple. If you don’t want to wear a mask, don’t fly. Or fasten your seat belts. It’s not that big of a deal. Show respect for fellow travelers.
Wearing a mask is protecting those around you.
Wearing a seat belt is primarily to keep you from becoming a flying object and thus injuring others. On an aircraft, the choice of using the seatbelt is not your choice.
How are airlines determining if you were fitted properly with an N95 mask? In my business everyone using an N95 must be fit tested annually or more often if the face changes. If the airlines don’t check the N95 tight fit then the mask will perform no better than a homemade mask. So how can the airlines get away with requiring a N95 without a fit test? This is just another illustration of how stupid these rules continue to become.
[citation needed]
In fact, even surgical three-ply masks performed significantly better than cloth masks in just about every study ever performed.
So you’re allowed to sit on a packed airplane, no social distancing, with all its windows sealed shut, and are allowed to completely take off the best mask on the market in order to take a drink or munch on some nosh, for a 3 – 8 hour flight. But yet to go into a Shul to connect to the Aibishter, with ample social distancing and open windows, with a mask on the entire time, for an hour (weekday) to 2 1/2 hour (Shabbos) is NOT allowed???! Going into a Shul with all the precautions is assur but flying to Orlando, Aspin (my daughter is there now), UAE, etc… is okay?! Total hypocrisy! Only in Shuls the Aibishter will give a person Corona but not on planes?! Total apikursis.
I know it’s not a contest, but this is by far one of the most sane posts I’ve read on this or any other site.
Which shuls are closed?
In Canada, Belgium, etc.
Canada also heavily restricts flights. Not much of a contradiction there.
There are many in my neighborhood in Brooklyn who will only daven in an “outdoor” minyan. The joke is, that now in the cold winter, it is in completely sealed tents with heating, hence they are actually worse than indoor minyanim. These people have something against going into a Shul because a couple of Rabbi’s said last year before Pesach, not to go in. Strange.
What does that have to do with flights? Unless you’re saying there are people that won’t daven in shul but are taking flights?
Heard someone in Orlando say “a minyan without masks is not a minyan” but I don’t think go walked from NYC!
Since when is going to shul Illegal?
@Dan I have a Lufthansa connection to Israel how will I know if my mask is considered fitted? And what’s going to happen if I don’t have a N95? Are they going to leave me there because it might not be perfect, even though as soon as I get on the plane I can just pull out the popcorn etc. and eat for 4 hours straight
It’s also more difficult to keep on the chin.