lotsofkids

Our family is moving to Europe this summer and we have twin toddlers who will turn 2 a few weeks before we leave from the US to Germany. We are going to do everything we can to have our twins wearing masks when we leave, but I am especially nervous on such a long flight that they are going to tear them off at some point during the flight. The Lufthansa website states that masks are only required for ages 6+ when departing from the US. I was curious if anyone has traveled with young kids recently and what they experienced on a flight leaving from the US. Did they seem to be enforcing constant mask use for the under 6 set? It would really lesson my worries if I knew our family wouldn't get kicked off the plane if one of our twins doesn't cooperate at some point with their mask. Thanks so much!

SK AAR

Welcome to FT!

Kids like yours are not required to wear face mask. Nothing to worry about.

I have yet to hear of unruly children being denied boarding or being kicked off the plane - kinda difficult to do midair too.

oliver2002

The general rule for LH is 6 years and above. For US flights the rule is 2 years and above.

https://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/faq-mouth-nose-cover


Travelling longhaul last week I noticed that the crew is very understanding and just does gentle reminders. So if your kids can't keep the mask on, you won't be ejected from aircraft on the spot

I would introduce your kids to the mask early on and start making them wear them a few days in advance so they get used to them. That way it will not be as overwhelming... travelling is stressful for all ...

Often1

The LH rule is supplanted by US law, which requires a mask on all passengers age 2+. Various exemptions and means to obtain those, but the bottom line is that the US law applies to all arrivals into and departures from the US, having nothing to do with the "flag" on the aircraft.

The broader issue is that there are a lot of good materials out there on how to make masks a "fun" part of the trip and a challenge for little kids. Ultimately, you can't do better than your best.

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/pdf/M...01-29-21-p.pdf

No idea what the rules will be this summer and whether enforcement will be lax or strict.

DaCus3

I have flown TATL 4 times during covid, never once has my 3 year old been asked to put a mask on. Maybe I have just been lucky so far, but as long as you are making an effort cabin crews seem to not care much about the mask rule for young children.

Often1

Until February 4, 2021, LH did not require masks for those under 6. US law changed on that date.

If you have flown 4 times since then, you are indeed lucky.

Susie Sohnchen

We live in Germany and are flying to the US on Friday so I will let you know. We are flying with Lufthansa. I am also freaking out as I just found out that my 2 and 3 year old have to wear masks when they've had very little practice because it's not a rule here. So praying that the crew is nice and understanding. The majority of stories I've hear are that they are pretty understanding of the little ones on these long flights but do have expectations that older kids where a mask the entire time. I'll try to reply after our trip.

Vollmer

Hi Susie,

Would be interesting to hear about your experience with the masks on you 2-3 year olds. We are flying to the US soon an are somewhat nervous..

Flauschie_Mr

I though I share what I found out regarding travel with children under the age of 6 with Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines to and from the U.S.:

I made sure to talk to two different representatives for each airline, and this is what I got:

Lufthansa: LH is aware of the CDC (US) rule that children of age 2 and over need to wear a facemask. However, both representatives told me that this will not be strictly enforced, meaning they will look the other way during the flight, will just make gentle reminders and ask the parents to put on/keep the mask during the boarding and takeoff stage.

Brussels Airlines: Children under the age of 6 years do not need to wear a mask. I even asked a manager to confirm this, which he did.

Sabine Nissl

Can anyone share their experience with flying LH and their policy with toddlers strictly wearing a mask? I just don’t know how to make my 2 year old wear a mask for eight hours.

LainaMcG

I am moving to Europe with my 2-year-old next month flying with Lufthansa LAX-Munich-Stockolm. I spoke to a customer service representative back in March/April that told me that masks for such young children are only mandatory when flying TO the US, not FROM. And in their FAQ section that someone above referenced earlier it only specifies TO the United States but doesn't mention "from". My son would definitely not wear a mask for 8 hours, probably not even 8 minutes, he's just so young and doesn't understand. If you're only traveling one way, this info might help, but it sounds like even on a return flight, they're more understanding than the US airlines.

gnaget

Based on my nasty experience LAX-MUC, I would advise getting a medical exemption for anyone over 2 with LH. For LH and Swiss it needs to be combined with a PCR test. If you are going to the US then even children have to test to enter, so you definitely should get the exemption. The LH FAQ cited above has been changed to show to/from the US. It must have changed since August based on the quote above. I could not find anything about this on SAS' website so I would definitely pick them (note that Scandinavian countries did not get absorbed in Mask Mania like Germany) to travel to the US instead of LH group, especially if you are going to Scandinavia.I wonder how many foreign airlines obsess about minutiae in US regulations?
https://www.flysas.com/en/help-and-c...r-a-face-mask/ Nothing about to/from US exceptions.

Swiss still only has the wording about flights TO the US. I also note that the photos show cabin attendants wearing cloth masks, which is verboten with LH (and SAS).
https://www.swiss.com/ch/en/customer...ical%20reasons.


p.s. Enough is enough. This nasty purser coming storming through the curtain shouting with her comical accent and poor command of English: "Zis is your final warning! You stop now!" in reference to my eating my meal. She had not warned me of anything earlier. This is in business class while eating dinner. Apparently, I was too slow. Then she tried to take out her aggression on my kids. A further detail is that we had a mini-cabin to ourselves for the family, so the ugly [redacted] inspired behavior was unnecessary. I am pretty much done with LH (group) forever after these flights........ Unfortunately, I am taking Swiss back. I wonder if they are as bad as LH? I guess, as usual, it depends on the purser.

hugolover

You didn’t replace the mask after each bite and each sip?

IMO the Purser is right, the virus is allowed to propagate around the cabin when you’re not covering your face and infect your fellow passengers and crew who may not be vaccinated, have had an ineffective vaccine, or didn’t have their booster(s) yet. The only exception to that is when opening your mouth to eat and drink, even when chewing you can replace it.

We need to follow the science. For example how odd you need a mask to walk around a lounge but you can sit without one, like the virus magically is only potent when standing but not sitting.

mercflight

Really? Making fun of a non native speaker’s accent and quickly coming up with some BS nazi comparison suggests you may have been the problem, not the purser. I have had 4 transatlantic LH flights, in F and J, over the last 8 weeks. Crews have been great and unless you very obviously abuse current regulations they don’t police you. Treat them with respect and you won’t have much to complain about.

Melodsal

Coming back to the subject of the thread - anyone with more recent experiences (especially from/to USA) with toddlers? We’re traveling next month with one that is just past 2 and completely non compliant when it comes to masks.