While plans for this were first revealed in early September, Germany’s two largest airlines have now officially announced that they’ll be updating their policies around mask wearing.
In this post:
Germany dropping airplane mask mandate
As of October 1, 2022, the requirement to wear masks on planes is being removed from Germany’s Infection Protection Act, meaning masks will no longer be required on airplanes to & from Germany. German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach will instead have the authority to reintroduce a mask requirement on planes in the event that we see a significant increase in cases.
Both Condor and Lufthansa have announced that they will no longer require masks on planes as of October 1, 2022, with the exception of flights to & from China and India.
Up until now, passengers have had to wear masks on all flights to & from Germany, regardless of the airline. However, masks haven’t been required at German airports for several months now (which seems backwards to me, since it seems there’s a higher risk in a crowded and poorly ventilated airport, than sitting in the same place on a well ventilated plane).
This is a major change in policy for Germany
Not only has Germany had an airplane mask mandate up until now, but in late August German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s cabinet approved new coronavirus measures for fall and winter. This included extending the airplane mask mandate all the way through April 2023. Of course that was a bit ironic, given his own airplane mask controversy.
Not only that, but Germany was expected to tighten rules around wearing masks on planes. As of October 2022, Germany was going to require N95-style masks in settings where masks are required, including airplanes. This policy I at least appreciate — if you’re going to make people wear masks, at least make them wear masks that work.
The new restrictions were based on an expectation of Germany seeing an increase in cases this winter, given the seasonal element of coronavirus. Much of the German public has been fed up with restrictions, though, wondering where the light at the end of the tunnel is. While measures are still being put in place for winter, masks on airplanes aren’t part of that plan anymore.
Bottom line
As of October 1, 2022, Germany is dropping its requirement to wear masks on airplanes. Instead Germany’s Health Minister will be able to add back these restrictions in the future, though in all likelihood that will be hard to bring back. Along those lines, both Condor and Lufthansa have announced that they’ll no longer require masks onboard as of October 1.
Germany was one of the few countries in Europe still requiring masks on planes, so I imagine this is welcome news to many.
What do you make of Germany dropping mask requirements for planes?
Well ventilated plane? Are you dumb? An airport is way more ventilated than a plane. You need to shut your mouth and spreading false information.
Planes are very well ventilated. Do some research, and possibly some thinking if that's possbible.
So I believe that, in Europe, that leaves just Spain requiring masks on flights?
What about Eurowings lucky? I had to wear one earlier this week flying to Germany from a maskless country (they said it was also airline policy not just government). So I wonder are Eurowings planning to keep this?
from 1st October, it says in the title!
Poor Lufthansa flight attendants, they’ve gotten so used to the power trip of forcing people to wear masks and measuring to which extent they cover our noses.. back to pouring coffee? Chicken or veal?
I flew on Lufthansa. Couple of weeks ago. They did ask to put masks on while boarding. But once food started, we took ours off and no one asked us to put them back on.
We also rode the ICE train. Most everyone except us wore masks. The ticket checkers didn’t say anything. I went to the food bar and one of the clerks said something to me. But I told him I’m ok and never put one on. Personal choice is great!
Just flew to Munich and back over the past week on LH. From what I observed, people not wearing masks would be told to wear them at boarding, but once the first meal service came around and people took masks off to eat, the crew would not remind passengers to put them back on afterwards. I'm not inherently opposed to a mask mandate, but there isn't really a point if it is only haphazardly enforced and it probably is time for it to end.
Flew a few weeks ago on 4Y and UA connecting through Germany and mask policy was not really enforced which I thought was interesting and very unGerman rule following though was appreciated as a pax.
Now they just need to get rid of the public transit mask mandate. As a Bahncard 100 holder, it's getting really old. I ride ICE between Zürich and Frankfurt, and they make you put a mask on as soon as you cross the German border after everyone has been riding for an hour plus without one in the same car. Makes lots of sense... definitely helps with drink sales though. People really nurse those beers as long as possible.
I was recently on a similar route from Zurich to Munich, first hour of the train was very enjoyable until the announcement we had crossed the German border, it was very interesting how most people quickly complied unless you were in the dining/drinking wagon, no change there. I didn't even want to drink, but suddenly a Hefe sounded good after crossing the border :-)
With every passing day, as COVID fades into the background, it’s hard to believe the calamity we all went through in this once in a hundred years pandemic. Beyond the tragic loss of life, so many were hurt by loss of their livelihood, education and social interaction. Let’s hope the lessons learned will result in better public health management in, God forbid, the next pandemic.
People thought similarly following the 1918 Flu Epidemic - one of the key lessons learned was the importance of public health measures like masks,.
Covid still killing more Americans each week than died on 9/11. On track for 100,000 each year. 3 times the death rate from the flu. My choice is to keep wearing the mask. I hate them. But I view it as the exact same reason smoking was banned on aircraft. FA's were getting lung cancer from second hand smoke. Except it's second hand germs everywhere. I realize my choice is unpopular but I have to do what I think is right.
I enjoyed my maskless DL ATL/MUC last week while my colleague flew from SEA on DE/LH was forced to wear a mask the entire way.
Perfect timing and probably intentional. This way, when cases spike again in the winter, the overlords in government over there can claim how we once again need masks to keep us safe. Enjoy your short lived reprieve from tyranny.
If you think having to wear a mask on a plane is "tyranny" you clearly need to read up on history to learn about what actual tyranny is
Government controlling how people breathe fits the definition of tyranny to me.
Government has every right to intervene in a public health crisis. Do you think that law enforcement is also tyranny?
You're free to do whatever you'd like in private. In the same way you're free to be drunk and buck naked brandishing firearms in the privacy of your own home, you can't on a plane. Your freedom to extend your fist ends when it meets someone else's face.
What about the freedom of gravity that someone else's face falls on my fist.
Tyranny depends on each person's point of view.
You could use the same for unprovoked invasion or liberating or preserving peace.
Tyranny is extreme, cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary use of power outside the rule of law. Mask regulations have been part of international public health initiatives to control a global pandemic and save lives. It's not always been particularly well coordinated or implemented - but it hasn't been extreme, cruel, unreasonable, or outside the rule of law.
In short no - "tyranny" is absolutely not "dependent on each point person's view".
Of course once cases spike again in the winter (which there is no doubt they will), the idiots in government will claim how we need to put the masks back on to keep us safe. Enjoy your short lived reprieve from tyranny.
German legislation adapting the actual situation. Nobody observed it ...
I flew 2 LH Schengen flights on September 19th. Masks were most definitely required. Those without or who had cloth masks were given medical-grade masks at embarkation and asked to out it on before going further into the aircraft.
"Up until now, passengers have had to wear masks on all flights to & from Germany, regardless of the airline. "
I don't think this is entirely correct. Eg. Finnair has not required masks to/from Germany even though they do require them to Spain and to/from Japan etc.
Perhaps only German airlines have required masks to/from Germany?
No, it was a Federal rule for all flights/to from Germany, but lots of airlines (Finnair/BA/Swiss etc) just ignored it. I have heard even from one case, i do not recall which airline unfortunately, passengers were asked to wear mask upon entering German airspace ;-)