Totally agree with you for when it comes to politcal debates. They are pointless and nothing is ever accomplished by either side. On the masks however to be honest I am someone who has had multiple evolution on this topic and the reality of it is NONE of us really know for sure much of anything about this virus and how to handle it. If we did we would be doing it and it wouldn't be getting worse. Originally I didn't take it seriously at all. That evolved to me taking it extremely seriously, wearing a mask, going from 80 flights a year to zero since January and self quarantining for almost 90 days. Then when we do finally go out we became shocked at seeing so many elderly people not wearing masks, nobody caring, that caused me to question it again. When the protests started and the news didnt mention the pandemic for a couple weeks I actually said to many people "If there is not a huge spike after hundreds of thousands of people across the country standing on top of each other then I will be pretty upset about the sacrifices those of us that have done our part made". Now of course there has been a spike which adds validity to the idea of social distancing and masks. At the end of the day at this point I have no frickin clue so I am one of those who does try to pay attention to all sides of the debate and decipher what makes sense. Have my first flight since January next month will be on planes and in airports for about 12 hours not looking forward to wearing a mask that entire time, but I will happily do it if we know for certain it saves lives.

Great job Alaska, you just joined the ranks of Delta, United, American, and Southwest, only weeks later.

Kids take after their parents. If parents take it seriously, so will the kids.

Wear a mask.

If you're like the average FT'er flying tens of thousands of miles a year you eventually become obese (and maybe cirrhotic) and one of either your heart or your liver will give out :D

I also support Alaska's policy of wearing masks. I too have become much more comfortable wearing a mask all day, and even forgetting to take it off when I return to my car. Part of it is that Ive found a style that I like, and is comfy enough to wear all day (we now have a multitude of both disposable and washable masks in our house) I liked the idea of a face shield when eating or drinking, that seems to be a good way to handle eating and drinking while on a. plane and think that perhaps using a face shield should be encouraged in the policies but as a suggestion not a mandate. Losing one person in the USA every 80 seconds is too high of a cost if we could find a way to stop the spread and do that while managing a semblance of business as normal. When I am on a plane, the person I interact with the most is the FA, but that same FA has to interact with all of the passengers in the cabin where I am sitting, whether or not the passenger is an asymptomatic carrier or not. I would hope we all would do what we can to lessen the risk to the crews that get us to where we need or want to be safely.

I would state this exactly the opposite. Individuals are ALWAYS the ones who should make decisions for themselves and for their family, not the government. This wonderful country was founded on rugged individualism.

In this case I have no problem with private businesses enforcing a requirement for masks (although if we are honest with ourselves the airlines are doing this for liability protection and no other reason). My family and I will be abiding by this private business mandate and will be wearing masks on our upcoming AS flights and then summarily removing them the second we cross through the airport exit to the outdoors. Others will choose to keep them on all the way through to their rental car (and including while they drive) and that is okay. Both positions should be supported with graciousness.

Unless you're in a crowded, undistanced mob I don't think most people care about you removing your mask outdoors. I do it all the time in the grocery store parking lot.
In a situation concerning public health, what you're glorifying as "rugged individualism" is simply self centered disregard for others because it is personally inconvenient. It's about as "rugged" as peeing in a public pool because it's too inconvenient to get to the washroom.

Uhhuh. Do you pay taxes?

Spare me the hogwash. This country was founded on stolen land on, depending on the backs of enslaved involuntary immigrants. I digress.

Although I’m not sure what you’re debating here. The reason you’d wear a mask is because of the forced mandate, government, business or otherwise. Hence the need for a mandate, because some individuals are too selfish and shortsighted to understand science and the greater good.

This is not a moral argument. Mandates work. Masks work. I don’t care why businesses decided to enforce one, and they didn’t need to if the government were competent. The faster this pandemic ends the faster we can go on with our lives.

The science is certainly not settled. Thankfully Sweden has shown us that herd immunity and no mask requirement renders COVID about as dangerous as an above average flu season.

Alaska Airlines and other US airlines are not mandating masks because they are concerned about the spread of COVID, they are doing it to prevent the spread of frivolous litigiousness. For me, I can respect the private mandate for that reason, and will happily comply to help protect one of our nation's most critical industries from financial insolvency.

Whatever gets you to comply, I frankly do not give a **** anymore. It doesn’t matter what mental gymnastics or justification hoops or pseudoscience it takes, whatever it’ll take to get people to wear a mask. And mandates helps. Thanks for wearing a mask.

I cannot speak for "other US airlines" but I believe that upper management at AS has a strong desire to keep its workforce healthy and alive, and not just for profit. This belief is based upon actual repeated human interaction with upper management in the actual (not airline lounge) board room.

I agree completely and AS has their (their employees, their customers, etc.) best interests at heart, in this regard.

As an aside, here's my Mask Management Home Storage System (MMHSS!) as a suggestion for those who find themselves inundated with a mask inventory that grows with each passing day!

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9b57e50c96.jpg

The science isn't settled. And won't be settled for years. Another viral infection, chicken pox, induces shingles decades later in people who recovered fully in their childhood.
But what I find more interesting is your apparent willingness to inconvenience yourself in a minor way for big business dividends, but apparently not, unless forced, for grandmas being able to have their families near them when they die. If you die with Covid, you die with a nurse at your bedside, if you're lucky. I find that decision by anti-maskers really cruel. It seems to me that wearing a mask is the least we who are healthy can do for the weaker among us. You seem to want to wear one for the benefit of the already powerful.

Well, at least we know some things are well-hung in your house. Enough so that there's "Mask, Travel, No Exception Necessary." :D