Originally Posted by
paulaf
If all restrictions do end on 24 Feb, do you think HAL will remove the need for masks in the airport? I think I read they're not mandatory in Manchester airport, but maybe Heathrow think its different as its more of an international hub, but what law can they use after this date, just a condition of entry? Seems a bit OTT if you don't need them say in hospitals here after this date.
Another question for you, when realistically do you think masks will become voluntary on flights, say just on UK airlines? This year or will it hang around for years like the liquids rule?
I would probably see that as the same question really, there is no point insisting on masks on aircraft but not airports and also vice versa, though AMS had a bit of a go at it, allowing mask-free use of the terminal. Ironically I'm not an expert on how this works on airlines so I wouldn't give my views particular weight, it's not my field of expertise. But if England gets rid of all the Statutory Instruments in a couple of weeks, then all HAL and BA can do is revert to conditions of carriage, which I suspect they will do for a while longer given that BA is generally flying to places with different rules. It will probably break down at some point, since the weak spot is that it is difficult to challenge someone who isn't wearing a mask - some will have a legitimate reason. As an example of it happening, air travel within the Nordics will probably be mask-free in a few weeks, to take one example, as was the case back in the summer.