Face masks on planes rule unenforceable, tourism industry says in wake of Zante flight

Cabin crew are unable to force passengers into wearing face masks, members of the tourism industry have warned following an outbreak on a Tui flight where travellers were "disregarding the rules".

Travel chiefs have cautioned that there is likely to be an uptick in the number of coronavirus outbreaks on planes after 16 cases were linked to the flight from Zante to Cardiff.

Steve Freudmann, chairman of the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT), said a change in the rules is now necessary as current measures mean there is “very little” cabin crew can do to get passengers to wear face masks.

"The general consensus in the travel industry is that it's very unfair on tour operators and airlines in asking them to become enforcers,” he said.

Unlike with shops and public transport, there is currently no law mandating that passengers wear face coverings on flights, however the introduction of such a law is something that the ITT would like to see.

“Until there’s a law, there’s very little they [cabin crew] can do,” he told The Telegraph.

“They either have to help us by passing some form of legislation, and if they don't, then I think the outbreaks we've seen this weekend probably will become more frequent."

He added: "It would give everybody more confidence if indeed it was made compulsory. It would certainly help the staff placed in a very difficult position at the moment.

“When you have a non-compliant passenger, what can you do? We want to do our best, but we need the Government to lead on this one."

Similarly, a Tui insider said that while the vast majority of passengers are “really obliging” and that staff are trained to manage difficult situations, if a passenger isn’t doing what they’re asked then crew members “can’t do anything more” than ask them to follow the rules.

It follows accusations from Stephanie Whitfield, a passenger on board the Tui flight who is now being forced to quarantine, that fellow flyers were not wearing masks correctly and seemed to "disregard the rules".

Describing the flight as a “debacle”, Ms Whitfield said that “lots of the people were wearing face masks underneath their noses or even underneath their chins”, as well as taking their masks off to talk to friends and “going up and down the aisles” without masks on.

The “vast majority” of people breaking the rules “weren’t being spoken to” by the crew, she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

All 193 people on the flight have now been told to self-isolate, and Tui is launching a “full investigation” into Ms Whitfield’s claims.

Passengers are informed prior to travel and via PA announcement on the flight that they have to wear masks throughout and that they are not allowed to move around the cabin, a spokesperson from Tui said, and masks can only be removed when consuming food and drink.

Unite the Union for aviation workers in the UK has echoed the ITT’s claims that the onus of enforcing rules around face coverings should not be on cabin staff.

“The UK government and the civil aviation authorities must promote and enforce a clear policy on the wearing of face coverings and masks for airline passengers,” they told The Telegraph in a statement.

“It should not simply be left to ground staff and cabin crew to police the public during this pandemic.

“Passengers must be totally clear on this policy, their responsibilities and the penalties if they fail to abide by the rules before they even arrive at the airport.”

They added: “Passengers should be informed of such a policy, and that refusal to abide by this policy will incur denied boarding, removal from a flight, or a financial penalty and even a travel ban.

“We would also urge the industry and the UK Government to make it a priority to get a common approach agreed across all common travel areas.”

A spokeswoman for Tui said: "The health and safety of passengers is always our priority and we are concerned to hear of Mrs Whitfield’s claims.

"Our crew are trained to the highest standards and in line with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) guidelines.

"Passengers are informed prior to travel and via PA announcements on the flight that they have to wear masks throughout and are not allowed to move around the cabin. Masks can only be removed when consuming food and drink. A full investigation is now underway as these concerns weren’t reported during the flight or before today."