Southwest Airlines Bolsters The Southwest Promise with Updated Face Covering Policy

As Southwest adapts to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we continually look for ways to support the well-being of our Customers and Employees. As part of our Southwest Promise, we require Customers and Employees to wear face coverings or masks, in accordance with public health guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), since evidence demonstrates that COVID-19 can be spread by individuals who do not have symptoms and do not know that they are infected with the virus.

Effective July 27, due to the safety risk of COVID-19 transmission by individuals not wearing a face covering, Southwest will require that all Southwest Customers wear a face covering or mask over their nose and mouth, and there will be no exemptions to our face covering requirement, except for children under the age of two. If a Customer is unable to wear a face covering or mask for any reason, Southwest regrets that we will be unable to transport the individual. In those cases, we hope the Customer will allow us to welcome them onboard in the future, if public health guidance, or other safety-related circumstances, regarding face coverings changes.

We highly encourage Customers to bring their own face covering or mask to utilize when traveling, but Southwest will have masks available at airport locations, upon request, to assist Customers. Then, as with our current policy, Southwest Customers will be required to wear a face mask or covering over their mouth and nose while checking in, moving through an airport, boarding, inflight, deplaning, retrieving baggage, and any other time they may engage with a Southwest Employee or another Customer.

Of course, we acknowledge there may be times when a Customer needs to remove their face covering briefly, for example: to eat, drink, or take medicine. However, we expect those instances to be very brief, and Customers should put their face covering back on as soon as possible.

At Southwest, safety and caring for others with our Southwest Hearts is at the center of everything that we do—which is especially important during this pandemic. We appreciate the ongoing support and spirit of cooperation among our Customers and Employees as we collectively take care of each other while striving to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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