Swiss lets passengers fly to and from Germany without a mask, causing a stir.
A Swiss Airlines passenger plane taking off from Berlin Brandenburg Airport BER.
lips You can’t choose your neighbors in the air. Like hardly anywhere else, you inevitably breathe the same air as numerous other passengers in an airplane for a longer period of time. Masks are therefore still mandatory on board flights to and from Germany. Whether that makes sense, however, is up for debate. Also because of headline-grabbing exceptions.
First of all, Olaf Scholz and Robert Habeck caused a controversy this week. Pictures showed the two top politicians without a mask on the plane. Reason: On Air Force flights, a negative corona test exempts passengers from the mask requirement.
Does Swiss disregard German laws?
Germans can also travel without a face mask on board Swiss flights. After a tweet by Marc Felix Serrao, editor-in-chief of NZZ Germany, several media launched the debate. Because the German Infection Protection Act stipulates that passengers on board flights to and from Germany must wear a mask.
Roughly speaking, nine out of ten passengers on the Swiss flight from Berlin to Zurich have none #Mask carried. As far as I could tell, the masked minority was treated with respect and courtesy by the majority. pic.twitter.com/DygIlKQRmH
— Marc Felix Serrao (@MarcFelixSerrao) August 24, 2022
Swiss does not seem to be aware of this, but interprets the legal situation differently. When it comes to travel regulations, Swiss adheres to the official requirements of the country of entry, the airline replies to the criticism on Twitter. There is a link to a list of destinations with the respective note about the obligation to wear a mask on board and at the airport. Germany: twice no.
“The mask requirement applies to all aircraft that take off or land in Germany”
A Swiss spokesman told Focus Online: “Our aircraft are registered in Switzerland, so Swiss legislation also applies on board.” However, the German authorities see things differently. “The mask requirement applies to all aircraft that take off or land in Germany,” a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Health told “Focus Online”. “Of course also for a Swiss airline.”
Good morning, Lau Hepp. When it comes to travel regulations, SWISS adheres to the official requirements of the country of entry. This also applies to the obligation to wear masks: https://t.co/vZaXnRdP4T. Many greetings, Ute
— Swiss Intl Air Lines (@FlySWISS) August 25, 2022
However, it is questionable that Swiss will have to face the consequences. She already went on a confrontation last spring by not enforcing the mask requirement on flights to the neighboring country. There were no consequences.
With its relaxed practice, Swiss only implements what the parent company demands at the political level. Lufthansa spoke out in favor of abolishing the mask requirement in air traffic this week. «We rely on the personal responsibility of our guests. Passengers should be able to freely decide whether they want to wear a mask or not,” board member Christina Foerster told the “Bild” newspaper on Thursday. The German special path is difficult to explain and enforceable, since most countries rely on voluntariness.