FAQs on the wearing of face masks

It is compulsory to wear a mask during your journey with Lufthansa. Like our crews, please wear your mask throughout your entire stay on board.

Visors (face shields), masks with valves or vents, scarves and handkerchiefs are not permitted on board or in the lounges as they let the breath flow out to the side and do not provide comparable protection.

Airports have also taken measures to increase hygiene and physical distancing. The wearing of face masks is also mandatory at the airport.

Please always follow the local instructions and guidelines. Please also note that airport restaurants and shops may still be closed. You can check this on the relevant airport’s website.

The wearing of face masks is compulsory in the terminal buildings. 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.

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.

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 face 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 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 theatres. 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 so do not provide the same level of protection as a 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 this information to the authorities at the flight’s destination. 

FFP2 masks have a relatively high airway resistance which can cause health problems to people with pre-existing conditions. Additionally, even healthy people often have problems wearing these masks throughout an entire flight. Our protection concept provides for universal mask wearing. This way every passenger protects their fellow passengers. If you personally choose to wear FFP2 masks on board, you may, of course, do so. Please note, however, that these masks must not have an exhalation valve as otherwise the mask will be less effective in protecting your fellow passengers. Please remember the increased airway resistance and take other masks with you on board in case you are unable to wear the FFP2 mask throughout the entire flight.

The Italian authorities only allow passengers to wear surgical masks for FFP2/FFP3 masks (without valves). Fabric masks are not permitted.