Questions and answers on hygiene measures

It is compulsory to wear a medical face mask throughout your journey with Lufthansa, from boarding and during your time on board to disembarking the aircraft. Like our crews, please wear your mask throughout your entire stay on board on flights to and from Germany.

Cloth face masks, as with visors (face shields), masks with valves, scarves or handkerchiefs, are not permitted either on board or in the lounges. This also applies to FFP2 masks made of fabric. Differences may be possible due to national regulations or requirements of a destination country.

Airports have taken measures to increase hygiene. Please note that at airports too, it is compulsory to wear a medical face mask in shops and on public transport. In many airports it is mandatory to wear a medical face mask throughout the terminal complex as well. Please consider the regulations of the respective federal state.

Please always follow the local instructions and guidelines. Also note that airport restaurants and shops may still be closed. Ideally, please always remember to bring enough appropriate face masks for your own use. If you need further supplies during your journey, you can find opportunities for purchasing face masks and sanitiser on the websites of the respective airports.

German federal and state legislation resulting from the resolution of 01.02.2021 requires the wearing of medical face masks.

These are face masks worn in everyday medical practice, also known as surgical masks. They are medical products and were designed for the protection of others.

In addition, FFP2-, FFP3-, KN95- or N95-standard masks without a valve and not made of fabric are permitted. These particle-filtering half masks (FFP [Filtering Face Piece] masks) protect the wearer from droplets and aerosols and serve to protect both the wearer and other people.

Cloth face masks, as with visors (face shields), masks with valves, scarves or handkerchiefs, are not permitted either on board or in the lounges.

Differences may be possible due to national regulations or requirements of a destination country.

An exemption to the obligation to wear a face mask can be made on health grounds. We will only accept an exemption on presentation of an up-to-date (no more than 48 hours old) negative Covid-19 PCR test result alongside the Lufthansa Group form signed by a doctor. Please let us know before boarding.

No, people who have been vaccinated are also obliged to wear a face mask.

No, people who have been vaccinated are also obliged to wear a face mask.

Yes. If it is necessary to check your ID or passport photo, you may be asked to remove your mask briefly. You will then be required to continue wearing your medical mask.

The wearing of face masks is compulsory in all terminal buildings. Many airports require medical face masks (FFP2-, FFP3-, KN95- or N95-standard or surgical masks without a valve and not made of fabric) to be worn.

We ask that you use contactless payment when purchasing goods in the airport shops.

Please note that many shops and restaurants may 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 check in using your smartphone at the appropriate kiosks and check in your baggage using the "Fast Bag Drop" – all completely contactless.

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. These colleagues are therefore not obliged to wear face masks. Where protection is not guaranteed by a plexiglass screen, Lufthansa personnel too are required to wear a medical face mask.

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

All passengers and crew on board are obliged to wear a medical face mask. On all flights to and from Germany since 01.02.2021

• during boarding,
  
• on board and
  
• when disembarking the aircraft
  

only FFP2-, FFP3-, KN95- or N95-standard face masks without a valve and not made of fabric or surgical face masks are permitted. Differences may be possible due to national regulations or requirements of a destination country.

Generally, the only exceptions to this rule are children under six years of age and persons who are not able to wear a mask for medical reasons.

(NB: on flights to and from the USA, all passengers, including children over the age of two, are required to wear face masks.)

We will only accept an exemption to the compulsory wearing of a mask on presentation of an approved negative Covid-19 PCR test result (no more than 48 hours old at the start of the journey) and a doctor’s signature on the corresponding Lufthansa Group medical certificate form.

If you have any further questions about this, please contact our Service Center.

No, people who have been vaccinated are also obliged to wear a face mask.

Vaccination quite clearly reduces the risk of passing on a possible infection. Nevertheless, vaccinated people can also contract and pass on the virus. By wearing a mask, this risk of transfer is further reduced.

Unfortunately, many people throughout the world have not yet had the opportunity to be vaccinated and are therefore much more susceptible to the virus than those who have been vaccinated. Lufthansa as a global airline connects people all over the world. We regard it as our duty to also provide the best possible protection to the people who have not yet been able to receive a vaccination.

The obligation to wear a mask on board still remains – as described above. There is still a residual risk that you will pass on the virus to others. If you cannot wear a mask, we would like to reduce this residual risk in the best way possible. This is possible with a PCR test; antigen tests are less reliable.

From February 1, 2021 on all flights facemasks of the FFP2, FFP3, KN95 or N95 standard without a valve and not made of fabric, surgical masks as well as community masks are obligatory when boarding, onboard, and when leaving the aircraft.

Cloth face masks, as with visors (face shields), masks with valves, scarves or handkerchiefs, are not permitted either on board or in the lounges.

Differences may be possible due to national regulations or requirements of a destination country.

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.

Yes, you may bring hand sanitiser, but please observe the regulations concerning the carriage of liquids.

In principle, the risk of becoming infected by the virus during a flight is very low. Lufthansa Group airlines’ aircraft are equipped with filters that clean the cabin air. All the recirculating air is filtered and impurities such as dust, bacteria and viruses are cleaned out of the air in the cabin. This comprises about 40 per cent of the cabin air – the rest is fresh air from outside the aircraft. The filtered air in an aircraft matches the air filter quality standards of 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 airflow horizontally from side to side or along the length of the aircraft.

Combined with the compulsory wearing of a face mask, air quality and airflow help protect us in the current situation. It is compulsory to wear a medical face mask throughout your journey with Lufthansa. Cloth face masks, like face shields, masks with valves, scarves or handkerchiefs are not permitted either on board or in the lounges.

In addition, our aircraft cabins are deep cleaned before and after every flight. The frequency and intensity of cabin cleaning have also been increased. There is a particular focus on tray tables, armrests, seat belts, toilets and door handles.

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:

• isolating the passenger by moving them to a different part of the cabin,
  
• using disinfectant,
  
• using personal protective equipment,
  
• immediately informing the authorities at the flight’s destination.
  

We do not allow any passenger with a confirmed Covid-19 infection or any passenger in quarantine to travel. In principle, passengers showing symptoms before beginning their journey should inform us, and our staff are required to refuse travel to passengers with symptoms.

If any passenger on a flight shows signs of infection, the cockpit crew will inform the Lufthansa Medical Operation Center which will brief the health authority responsible. There is reason to suspect an infection in particular if the passenger shows symptoms of coughing or breathlessness with or without a fever, or if the person in question has been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with Covid-19. In the event of such a case, there is a clear procedure. This includes isolating the passenger in question as far as possible by moving them on board, and the use of personal protective equipment by the crew.

All further measures after landing are undertaken by the health authority or the relevant airport medical service.

If, after the flight, there is the suspicion of a Covid-19 infection or confirmation that a passenger was infected with the virus, we will be informed by the health authority responsible. Under Germany’s Protection Against Infection Act, we are obliged to hand over the contact details of the passengers and crew on the relevant flight to the public health officer. They will decide what action to take. In Europe, the so-called RAGIDA guidelines (Risk Assessment Guidelines for Infectious Diseases Transmitted on Aircraft) determine the next steps. The crew members on the relevant flight will also be informed and in addition Lufthansa’s occupational health service will be involved. The next steps will be decided jointly. This procedure is also used in the event of other infectious diseases, if a passenger is discovered to have developed a particular illness after a flight.

No, this must be carried out by the health authority; anything else would be a breach of statutory requirements.

In these unusual times, we and our joint-venture partners attach great importance to making you feel comfortable and safe on board.

Here you can find all the measures that each of our partners has put in place for you and which you personally should observe on your connecting flight and at the transfer airport – so that you can continue your journey safely: