Qatar Airways Now Requires Passengers Wear a Face Shield and Mask

Qatar Airways is now requiring passengers to don face shields on a flight to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The airline will provide disposable face shields to customers before they board. It is offered along with a complimentary protective kit, which includes a single-use surgical face mask, disposable gloves, and hand sanitizer.

Children will receive a kid-size face shield with Qatar’s Oryx Kids Club mascots. Kids under two are not required to wear a face shield or a mask.

“Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, the safety of our passengers has been our highest priority. By introducing these additional onboard safety and hygiene measures, our customers can rely on us and our unparalleled expertise to fly them safely to their destination,” Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said in a statement, adding: “We will continue to lead the industry in terms of the services offered to our passengers, so that they can travel with confidence.”

Customers seated in economy are required to wear their masks and shields during the entire flight except when they are eating or drinking.

In addition to mandating passengers wear protective equipment, Qatar outfitted their cabin crew in full disposable protective gowns, including safety goggles, gloves, and a mask.

The airline said it has taken further precautions, including serving business class meals covered on a tray instead of setting them up on a table, and washing all onboard blankets with “microbial lethal temperatures” before sealing them in packaging by staff wearing disposable gloves.

Qatar isn’t alone in requiring passengers to wear face masks while on board. Many U.S. airlines have made it a mandatory requirement, including Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines, which has pledged to issue yellow cards to passengers who don’t wear one as a final warning before suspending them from flying with the carrier.

United Airlines has also said it would temporarily ban people from flying if they didn’t wear a face mask while on the plane, and American Airlines removed a man from a flight after he refused to put on a face mask.