FAQs on the wearing of face masks

During your journey with Lufthansa, you are required to wear a medical protective mask at all times, from boarding, through your time on board and when leaving the aircraft. On flights to and from Germany, wear your mask - just like our crews - throughout your stay on board.

Masks made of fabric, or community masks, like visors (face shields), masks with valves, scarves and shawls, are not permitted on board or in the lounges.

The airports have taken measures to increase hygiene and physical distance. Please note that airports also make it compulsory to wear a protective medical mask in shops and on transport. In many airports, wearing a medical mask is also mandatory throughout the terminal facilities.

Please follow the local instructions and guidelines given at the airports. Also note that restaurants and shops at the airport may still be closed. So ideally, please always bring enough of your own masks. Should you need replacements during the trip, you will find information on where to purchase protective masks and disinfectant on the websites of the respective airports.

From 1 February 2021, only facemasks of the following standards will be permitted on flights to and from Germany: FFP2, KN95 and N95 standard or surgical masks.

The latter are medical face masks known from everyday medical practice, colloquially also called surgical masks. They are medical products and were developed for the protection of others. FFP2, KN95 and N95 are filtering face pieces which protect the wearer of the mask from droplets and aerosols and serve to protect others and oneself.

Wearing a mouth-nose cover is mandatory in all terminal facilities. Many airports require wearing a medical protective mask (masks with the FFP2, KN95 and N95 standard or surgical masks).

There are markers on the floor in all waiting areas showing the minimum safe distance of 1.5 metres. In the seating areas only every second seat can be used. Posters, digital displays and multilingual loudspeaker announcements also remind passengers to maintain social distancing. In addition, trained personnel will be on duty at the airport to alert travellers – where necessary – to the need to maintain a safe distance and to wear masks.

We ask that you use contactless payment when purchasing goods in the airport shops. Please note, that many shops and restaurants at the airports might still be closed.

Plexiglass screens have been installed at check-in counters and ticket desks as well as wherever there is direct contact between you and our employees to protect your health and theirs. There are also numerous hand sanitiser dispensers available. Surfaces that are frequently touched are cleaned and disinfected regularly and often.

At our airport hubs, you can also use your smartphone for contactless check-in at the relevant kiosks and can check in your baggage without personal contact at the Fast Bag Drop.

This way, we'll contribute to safety and hygiene together.

At the check-in counters, ticket desks and wherever there is direct contact between you and our employees, plexiglass screens have been installed to protect your health and theirs. These colleagues are therefore not obliged to wear face masks. Where protection is not guaranteed by a plexiglass screen, Lufthansa personnel are required to wear a medical protective mask.

There are also numerous hand sanitiser dispensers available. Surfaces that are frequently touched are cleaned and disinfected regularly and often. Because they are able to regularly disinfect their hands with sanitiser or regularly wash their hands, there is no need for check-in staff to wear gloves.

At our airport hubs, you can also use your smartphone for contactless check-in at relevant kiosks and can check in your baggage without personal contact using the Fast Bag Drop.

Yes. If it is necessary to check your ID or passport photo, you may be asked to remove your mask briefly. You must continue to wear your medical protective mask afterwards.

If there is a loss of cabin pressure requiring the use of oxygen masks, you must remove your mask. The crew will inform you accordingly.

In general, the risk of being infected with the virus during a flight is extremely low. Lufthansa Group airlines’ aircraft are equipped with filters that clean the cabin air. All the circulating air is filtered and impurities such as dust, bacteria and viruses are cleared from the air in the cabin. This filtered air makes up about 40 per cent of the air on board. The remainder is supplied as fresh air from outside the aircraft. The separation efficiency of these filters meets the standards for filters in hospital operating rooms.

Thanks to these special filters, the air in the cabin is cleaner than the air that people breathe on the ground. What’s more, the airflow in aircraft is from top to bottom. There is no horizontal airflow from side to side or along the length of the aircraft. As of today, there are no known cases of infection on our flights.

Visors (face shields) and masks with exhalation valves are therefore not permitted on board. They allow the breath to flow out to the side and thus do not provide the same level of protection as a medical protective face mask.

Regardless of the current coronavirus situation, there are clear procedures on board for cases when the cabin crew suspect that a passenger has a contagious disease. Some of these procedures include the following measures: relocation of the passenger to isolate them on board, use of disinfectant, use of personal protective equipment by the crew members, immediate notification of the authorities at the flight’s destination.