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Home » Delta Air Lines » No Mask, No Flight…Delta Requires Doctor’s Waiver To Avoid Face Coverings
Delta Air Lines

No Mask, No Flight…Delta Requires Doctor’s Waiver To Avoid Face Coverings

Matthew Klint Posted onJuly 18, 2020July 18, 2020 25 Comments

Delta Mask Exemption

If you thought the old “I’ve got a medical condition” excuse would work, Delta has news for you: you’ll at least need to forge a doctor’s note or sound convincing. Yes, I’m being facetious, but on a serious note, Delta is closing the medical exemption loophole for those who try skirt mask requirements by feigning a disability.

Delta: Requires Doctor’s Waiver To Avoid Wearing A Mask Onboard

Delta requires masks throughout the travel experience in the following places:

  • Lobby Check-in 
  • Delta Sky Clubs
  • Boarding Gate Areas
  • Jet Bridges  
  • On board the aircraft for the duration of the flight – except during meal service

Earlier this week, Delta updated its mask policy. It now warns that those who feign medical conditions or other disabilities will be banned from flying Delta until the pandemic is over. It also warns passengers who wish to claim an exemption to the mask policy to arrive early for a special pre-flight screening.

Customers with unique mask requirements should bring the appropriate face covering that best meets their needs. Customers with health conditions or disabilities that explicitly prevent the wearing of a face covering or mask are strongly encouraged to reconsider travel or should be prepared to complete a ‘Clearance-to-Fly’ process prior to departure at the airport. If you require this exemption, please arrive early to complete the process during check-in and avoid missing your flight – this process can take over one hour. Please arrive early to allow additional time. Mask exemptions apply only to travel on flights operated by Delta. 

Any false claims of a disability or health condition to obtain an exemption from wearing a mask or face covering may result in the suspension of travel privileges on any Delta flight for the duration of the mask/face covering requirement. 

But what is the “clearance-to-fly” process? Per Zach Griff, starting on July 20, 2020, Delta will require those passengers claiming they cannot wear a mask due to health reasons to conduct a virtual screening with a medical professional prior to the flight:

Medical research tells us that wearing a mask is one of the most effective ways to reduce the COVID-19 infection rate. That’s why Delta remains committed to requiring customers and employees to wear a mask or face covering as a consistent layer of protection across all Delta touchpoints. We encourage customers who are prevented from wearing a mask due to a health condition to reconsider travel. If they decide to travel, they will be welcome to fly upon completing a virtual consultation prior to departure at the airport to ensure everyone’s safety, because nothing is more important.

This will not be a video screening, but a phone call. It will be private (not Delta agent listening in) with the medical profession clearing you to fly on the basis of your conversation.

CONCLUSION

Just as the word of a customer could no longer be blindly accepted when it came to emotional support animals, so too will Delta not just blindly accept “medical” excuses for not wearing masks onboard. Be prepared to back-up your medical exemption assertion or be banned from flying on Delta.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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25 Comments

  1. DaninMCI Reply
    July 18, 2020 at 7:33 am

    Many health conditions like asthma are protected under ADA laws. It will be interesting if anyone files a formal FTA complaint about this. As an asthma sufferer, I am avoiding flying as much as possible but I certainly wouldn’t fly Delta and have to undergo a medical examination prior to flying for this condition that prevents me from wearing a mask for long periods of time.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      July 18, 2020 at 10:15 am

      I wonder if the “virtual consultation” will simply involve stating, “I have asthma” and the doctor saying, “Ok, no mask.”

      • ZC Reply
        July 22, 2020 at 6:19 pm

        Consultants via STAT-MD, they are EM physicians from UPMC, they will smell BS from a mile away.

    • Aaron Reply
      July 18, 2020 at 12:25 pm

      I love how you tried to post the same on OMAAT and everyone there more or less shut you down…

      • DaninMCI Reply
        July 18, 2020 at 5:32 pm

        True. We saw some real hate for people with medical conditions over in those comments. Kind of shocking really. I really thought Matt might have some good legal insight into this issue.

    • James Reply
      July 19, 2020 at 5:22 am

      Asthma can’t wear mask? Lol. You just one obese snowflake karen. Hahaha

      • Patricia Reply
        July 22, 2020 at 1:29 pm

        You ignorant moron. I have asthma and am not obese. I cannot wear a mask !!

        • [redacted by admin] Reply
          July 25, 2020 at 2:25 pm

          You all are a bunch of bleeding [redacted by admin] enforcement of mask. Lol get the [redacted by admin] out of here. They don’t do [redacted by admin] to stop anything. Your plandemic is a failure you fear mongering [redacted by admin]. Come at me. I would love to fight or kill you off my self.

          • Kyle Stewart
            July 25, 2020 at 5:42 pm

            Commenter – You’re welcome to state your opinion at any length in any number replies as you like on this site. We welcome commenters from either perspective. However, we must remove profanities where and when we find them, this has butchered your comment. We encourage healthy, lively debate from all perspectives – it’s what makes democracies great, but we can’t allow obscenities to be published including implied obscenities in the case of an email address or user name.

            To review: we welcome all comments even those of which the authors and admins of this site disagree. Obscenities will be censored, not opinions. Extensive use of obscenities may result in a loss of commenting ability or deletion of the comment(s) in question.

    • jetlaggedaf Reply
      July 19, 2020 at 1:18 pm

      Masks do not reduce the amount of oxygen you are able to breathe. There’s an enormous amount of peer reviewed scientific research out there showing this to be the case with any sort of FDA approved mask. Anything else is all in your head. I have asthma and have never had any issues with masks. In many ways, I find it helps me avoid triggering conditions in many instances.

      • shelia denise higgins Reply
        July 19, 2020 at 5:17 pm

        I agree with you have asthma and I do not have any trouble wearing a mask. I find in air alerts it help me.

      • Patricia Reply
        July 22, 2020 at 1:32 pm

        Well buddy I have asthma as well and have tried many times to try and wear a mask. It resulted in a asthma attack. Don’t be so ignorant not everyone with asthma reacts the same. Do you actually think people with these medical conditions and can’t wear a mask want to be ridiculed like this ?

    • DivaD Reply
      July 20, 2020 at 12:38 am

      I couldn’t survive allergy season without a mask! Have worn one outdoors during spring and fall since I wais a child. Asthma is helped by mask wearing.

  2. T Reply
    July 18, 2020 at 7:49 am

    I am just curious a little. It seemed that both this site and OMAAT used the same photo to write about the same topic.

    Did you guys obtain the pic from the same source, e.g. get the picture from the same website/person? Or did you guys share the picture to one another, but write your own story? I hope I will not be blocked by asking this.

    • Stuart Reply
      July 18, 2020 at 7:59 am

      I was also surprised but I assume it’s a stock photo and was a coincidence.

    • Pete Reply
      July 18, 2020 at 3:06 pm

      So someone has a mask on goes into a attack and they have nothing to spray with all the flight attendants going to save their life people that have asthma do have problems with his people that don’t have asthma don’t understand what it’s like breathing and you have no air because of attack and don’t tell me what else other people’s virus no people don’t die within 10 seconds of not having a spray in their mouth from asthma

  3. Matthew Klint Reply
    July 18, 2020 at 10:15 am

    @T and @Stuart: This time it was a coincidence. I wrote my story last night and set it for publishing this morning. I assume Ben wrote his this morning since he is in Bodrum. This was just the stock photo from Delta I thought most appropriate. It seems Paddle Your Own Kanoo and TPG also used the same image.

  4. Ron Perkins Reply
    July 18, 2020 at 10:22 am

    As a constitutional attorney, I can tell you that my office will have a field day with this. ADA compliance lawsuits have brought us literally millions! The silly thing is, people are cheering the airlines on for making decisions like this which will directly result in increased expenses for the airlines… leading to increased costs for consumers in the end. You should know better Matthew.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      July 18, 2020 at 10:23 am

      Don’t be too sure Ron. Did you have a field day when airlines starting cracking down on the abuse surrounding emotional support animals? Hint: the ADA and the Air Carrier Access Act are two different things. Neither implicate the U.S. constitution.

      • Nick Reply
        July 18, 2020 at 11:27 am

        Hey “Attorney Ron,” care to explain concepts of “direct threat” and “undue burden” under ADA? Does it apply only to employer/employee relationship? Am confused…

        Brilliant move by Delta.

    • Adams9802 Reply
      July 18, 2020 at 12:11 pm

      You posted this garbage in OMAAT. It has been quickly debunked in the comments there.

      • Aaron Reply
        July 18, 2020 at 12:31 pm

        Yes he was also taken apart on OMAAT with his supposed credentials in the field of law left very suspect.

  5. Dick Bupkiss Reply
    July 18, 2020 at 1:10 pm

    Bravo, Delta, well done.

    Please continue to smackdown these dishonest, entitled, ignorant, Trump-licking morons.

  6. Marissa Reply
    July 18, 2020 at 2:10 pm

    Good step in the right direction. For chronic health sufferers who really do have a legitimate reason, would be nice if they only had to do it one time.

  7. Neenee Reply
    August 19, 2020 at 5:31 pm

    I have a legitimate major health concern and should not be penalized and unable to fly for a vacation I saved up for 3 years to get. I cannot wear a mask and it is unreasonable for me to be put in a situation like this. Over 20 years ago I was diagnosed (by a pulmonologist) who told me I was breathing with the capacity of 1 lung. I have a paralyzed diaphragm on one side so cannot breathe normally 24/7. I get short of breath quickly and the mask hinders my ability to get a full, deep breath. Why do I have to be penalized because I have a legitimate health reason for not wearing a mask?

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