U.S. airlines are finally starting to get serious about personal protection onboard their planes. United has publicized a policy that will ban passengers from future flights if they refuse to mask up, and American says it may follow suit.
When masks were first mandated a few weeks ago, onboard personnel were told not to try to enforce the rule to avoid conflicts in flight. Since there were no consequences, the rules were basically toothless.
United is also implementing a health checklist requiring information on symptoms and contacts. Other airlines, including Delta, Southwest, Alaska, Frontier and JetBlue also have announced mask requirements, but have not yet said what they will do about violations.
UPDATE
Wednesday morning, American Airlines took what may have been the first step in mask enforcement, requiring a passenger on a flight from New York LaGuardia to deplane when he refused to wear a mask. He later agreed to wear a mask and was re-booked on a later flight, but not before tweeting a series of accusations against the airline that were not backed up by fellow passengers. USA Today reported the details.