Hawaiian Airlines today enhanced its comprehensive “Keeping You Safe” program for guests and employees by requiring all travelers 2 years of age and older to wear a face mask or covering at the airport and during the flight, disallowing masks made with mesh or sheer material or equipped with valves, and initiating a new health screening for those unable to wear a face mask or covering due to a medical condition or disability.
Hawaiian Airlines said a plastic face shield may be worn in addition to a mask, but not in lieu of one.
Hawaiian, whose face mask requirement has been in place since May 8, no longer allows guests wearing mesh or sheer face coverings or valve masks, including exhaust vents of any kind, to board flights following a determination by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that they donʻt effectively block respiratory droplets.
Additionally, guests unable to wear a face mask or covering due to a medical condition or disability must now undergo a personal medical assessment at the airport to be cleared to board. Guests requesting an exemption should arrive at the airport early as the assessment may take up to one hour–and the flights will not be delayed to accommodate late passengers.
As part of its “Keeping You Safe” program, Hawaiian last month added a new step to its check-in process requiring guests to complete a health acknowledgment form indicating they are free of COVID-19 symptoms and agreeing to wear a face mask or covering for the entirety of their journey.
The airline also has enhanced cleaning measures, including frequent disinfecting of lobby areas, kiosks, and ticket counters, electrostatic aircraft cabin spraying, plexiglass barriers at staffed airport counters, and sanitizer wipe distribution to all guests.
The carrier will continue to cap cabin capacity at 70 percent through September to allow for onboard distancing.
There is a 14-day travel quarantine for anybody flying to a neighbor island (not O’ahu). Each county has its own rules for an exemption to the quarantine. In addition, the State Health Department requires a pre-flight health form to be filled out.
