Cathay Pacific Adjusts Face Covering Policy for Premium Cabin
Joe Cortez February 17, 2021
Flyers in the forward cabin of Cathay Pacific aircraft are getting a waiver on wearing their face mask in certain situations. The new policy allows for flyers to forego wearing a covering if their seat is reclined in a fully-flat position.
Hong Kong-based carrier Cathay Pacific is creating an exception to their mandatory face covering rule – but you must be seated in the premium cabin to use it. Executive Traveller reports the airline is allowing first class and business class travelers to not wear a face covering if their seat is in the lie-flat position.
Exemption Allows Flyers to Go Coverless If They Are Laying Down
Under the new policy, the airline will allow flyers in the premium cabin to not use a face covering if their seat is fully reclined. The carrier claims that because of the high walls around their first- and business class suites, flyers have more personal space and less exposure to one another. The combination of factors serves as a natural barrier, which potentially reduces the risk of transmitting the novel Coronavirus.
The new policy is a step backwards from their mandatory face covering policy, which started on May 15, 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic began. In addition to the higher barriers, the airline justified their decision based on their air filtration systems. A spokesperson for the airline commented that the filters are “…capable of filtering 99.9999 percent of dust particles, including virus and bacteria.”
The filtration argument is common among airlines, with many claiming their cabins are safer than most day-to-day activities. The industry has stood behind three studies to back up their arguments: one conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense in conjunction with United Airlines, one by the Harvard University School of Public Health, and one published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
However, researchers have also provided evidence to the contrary as well. A New Zealand research paper determined that without wearing face coverings, several people aboard an Emirates flight may have contracted COVID-19 by sitting in near proximity of an infected person.
Policy Flies in the Face of American Mandates
The exemption is in direct conflict with new mandates handed down by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Under the rules, all passengers aboard any publicly-available carrier – including airlines – must wear a face mask from the time they enter the terminal, to the time they leave their arrival station.
I applaud what appears to be an attempt to weigh relative risks. They have. Much of the US Fed level stuff is one rule is good for every situation. Now each potential passenger can weigh their risks before buying a ticket. The key is everyone knows the rules for that airline, and then the airline enforce those rules.
I appreciate SaltyGB comments. They have the right to live life. Yes, Covid is real, yes it is a terrible virus for a part of the population. The same argument Rexy52 is using could be used for Tobacco, alcohol, thrill seeker, over eating any number of things. At some point we all have the right to make decisions. I think in 10 to 15 years when science has really had a chance to study this virus we will have more educated information to follow. Where I live there is a high level of virus transmission, a very low hospitalation and a death rate of less than 0.05%. It is also interesting to note if you look at transmission rates for states that locked down vs states that did not lock down it is not much different. I believe people should be able to make their own decisions and if someone wants zero chance of getting anything stay home.
What CX does not understand is that before their Hepa filters cleanse the air so to speak, the virus floats in the cabin. Unless the hepa filters suck the air out of each person as soon as they breathe out!!!
This is good especially if you have already had the vaccine.
BTW, I also meant to add that I think CX's decision is completely rational, both from a health and a product offering perspective.