United and other US airlines get more serious on face mask requirements

Major US airlines in Airlines for America, the carriers' industry group, announced Monday that they intended to more strictly enforce mask wearing aboard their planes, including potentially banning passengers who refuse to wear a mask. The announcement comes in lieu of a federal regulation requiring all passengers to wear masks -- the sort of enforceable measure that governs requirements to wear seatbelts and not smoke. United came out Monday with its own separate announcement that has more teeth than what it's been doing so far. If you refuse to wear a face mask starting June 18, you could find yourself on a restricted travel list. Here's how United laid out the process for at least the next 60 days for people who eschew a mask: First, flight attendants will inform you of the mandatory mask requirements if you're not wearing a face covering, and you do not fall within a small group of exceptions. If you don't have a face covering, United flight attendants will offer you one. If some fliers still refuse to wear a mask, the attendants "will do their best to de-escalate the situation [and] again inform the customer of United's policy." United's policy does not include forcibly removing a passenger who still refuses to comply, but the attendants will file an incident report. The airline says that "any final decision or actions regarding a customer's future flight benefits will not occur onboard but instead take place after the flight has reached its destination, and the security team has investigated the incident." Six other major US airlines pledged to roll out new policies requiring masks, also enforced with a penalty as severe as a ban on flying with that particular airline.<br/>