Will passengers who violated mask policy be allowed on flights again?

A number of major U.S. airlines will be taking passengers who violated previous mask mandates off their no-fly list. 

In the past two-and-a-half years, thousands of complaints were filed to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for passengers who refused to wear a mask on airplanes, per a federal transportation COVID-19 mask policy that was struck down this week.

Last summer, the FAA said that three-quarters of complaints were due to mask compliance issues. 

Passengers who did not comply with the mask mandate were banned from flying from many airlines. 

However, as airlines dropped their mask mandates after a federal judge in Florida ruled against the national mandate’s continuation, some — including Delta, United and Alaska airlines — are opening the door for prior offenders to fly again.

Delta Air Lines said in a statement that it “will restore flight privileges for customers on the mask non-compliance no-fly list only after each case is reviewed and each customer demonstrates an understanding of their expected behavior when flying with us.”

“Any further disregard for the policies that keep us all safe will result in placement on Delta’s permanent no-fly list. Customers who demonstrated egregious behavior and are already on the permanent no-fly list remain barred from flying with Delta,” it added.

United Airlines is taking a similar approach, letting passengers who violated mask mandates back on a case-by-case basis. 

“All of our customers should feel free to wear a mask, and many of them are,” United CEO Scott Kirby said, adding the airline would try to accommodate those particularly vulnerable to the virus.

“For customers like that, that are immunocompromised or that have other concerns or issues, we are working with those customers if they really don’t want to fly.”

Alaska Airlines also said those who were banned only for mask compliance issues will be allowed back, while “some guests whose behavior was particularly egregious will remain banned.”

Throughout the pandemic, Delta had banned more than 2,000 passengers for mask compliance violations, United Air Lines has banned 1,000 passengers and Alaska Airlines has prohibited more than 1,700 from flying.

However, some airlines are not being as forgiving, saying those who are on the no-fly list for mask violations will remain there.

“The safety of flight, our crew, and our passengers is paramount at Hawaiian Airlines. Travelers who have been noncompliant with crewmember instructions and applicable law, or who have threatened our employees, will remain banned from flying with us per our security reviews,” Hawaiian Airlines said in a statement. 

Southwest Airlines said in their statement the federal judge’s decision to halt the mask mandate did not impact the no-fly list for unruly behavior. 

“We don’t discuss our security protocols in specific terms and this list is at the far of an escalation of training and protocols our Crews and Employees use to ensure everyone onboard our flights feels comfortable and is safe,” the company stated. 

The Hill has reached out to other major U.S. airlines for comment on their policies toward past mask offenders.