Originally Posted by ethernal

There doesn't need to be. While airlines are considered common carriers, they are as private entities given a wide latitude to whom they wish to do business. There are explicit protections around discrimination (including medical disability discrimination) but an airline has a right to refuse a customer for any reason they choose that is not explicitly protected by law. For example, violating rules set out by the airline for ticket booking and/or loyalty programs. Delta has created a rule around wearing a mask that they seek to enforce. In order to not be discriminatory, they are providing a mechanism for those who may not be able to wear a mask to be exempt from this policy.



The CDC does not provide guidance with regulatory impact to airlines, so what the CDC says isn't that relevant. That said, it is a good source of vetted scientific consensus with actionable recommendations. And your statement of "many exemptions" is just misinformation. The CDC does not give "many exemptions" - certainly not that are relevant to air travel. CDC guidance is here. The carveouts are basically "mental disability" (I highlighted this already) and young children. That's it. They highlight challenges of deaf individuals that rely on lipreading but there are workarounds that don't require not wearing a mask. The other exclusions are not airplane-relevant, such as activities around water, heavy machinery that could get caught on the mask, and very high-intensity exercise. That's it.



Asthmatics that are fit to fly are not practically impacted by masks. An active high-intensity asthma attack would be a reason to remove the mask. A mask will not independently trigger an asthma attack (if anything, while a cloth mask may not do much, high-grade masks are actually known to reduce acute asthma attacks because they block triggers - in fact, it is recommended for many type of asthma that respirators should be worn when doing some higher-risk activities like cleaning that may trigger a reaction). If an individual with asthma is not able to breath normally with a cloth mask covering, this is a sign that the asthma is not under control and should consult a doctor before flying (which, hey, Delta is offering here - sounds like a win-win, especially since it appears Delta is paying for it).



Assuming that the procedures Delta are following are legal, they would be laughed out of court because asthma is not a contraindicated to wearing a mask (and indeed is often RECOMMENDED for many types of asthma in some activities)



You are welcome to do this. It's a silly position, but I support and applaud your right to boycott Delta for a policy you don't like. Unfortunately for you, the silent majority here does appreciate it (as evidenced by virtually every poll, especially among high income-high education people that make up most of Delta's high revenue flyers) so you are likely not going to drive the impact you are seeking.