Skies now less friendly for those — well, most of those — without a mask

ing a mask during the entire 68-minute flight from Houston to Dallas on July 12.

Cruz spokeswoman Jessica Skaggs told me the account was not true.

“To help promote safety, Sen. Cruz wears a mask when traveling, and practices social distancing where possible,” she said. “Consistent with airline policy, he temporarily removes the mask while eating or drinking. On Sunday, during his flight, he removed his mask to drink and put it back on afterward.”

American Airlines would not reveal the results of its promised investigation, but it did not confirm Cruz’s account.

Airline spokeswoman Stacy Day said, “While our policy does not apply while eating or drinking, we have reached out to Sen. Cruz to affirm the importance of this policy as part of our commitment to protecting the health and safety of the traveling public.”

Day said the airline has banned “some customers” from flying because they won’t wear a mask.

“Any restriction lasts for the duration of our policy for required face coverings,” Day said.

Another carrier, Alaska Airlines, started asking passengers on June 30 to sign an agreement before boarding “to acknowledge and attest to their willingness to adhere to the mask policy.”

Alaska is giving passengers who violate the policy in-flight, except when eating or drinking, a yellow card. It features a drawing of an Alaska passenger wearing a mask and cites studies showing that face coverings significantly reduce the spread of coronavirus.

It concludes: “This is our final notice to comply with our policy. Next, we will file a report, which could result in the suspension of future travel on Alaska Airlines.”

We’ll see if that applies to VIPs such as Sen. Cruz.

Passengers can get out of the mask requirement if they have a qualifying medical condition on airlines other than American and Southwest.

Some airlines will waive mask requirements, for example, if the face coverings would make it hard to breath for someone with respiratory problems. It’s surprising that more mask haters don’t lie about their medical condition, but maybe they do.

United Airlines says it will take passengers at their word, meaning a maskless flight for those who feel their liberty is being violated — and don’t mind lying about having a medical condition.

Airlines can’t be entirely blamed for the mask controversy. The larger issue of wearing masks has been a political flashpoint for months now. It’s a shame that something so simple, something that’s been shown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and save lives, is even up for debate.

Blame should be put on the toothless Federal Aviation Administration under President Donald Trump, which hasn’t enacted rules or fines on maskless flyers.

Think about how this compares to a passenger who smokes in a plane’s lavatory. A smoker could be fined $4,000 and subject to arrest under FAA rules.

Rules on wearing a mask at the airport are even more complicated. The FAA has no regulations on the matter, leaving airports to determine whether there should be a mandatory mask policy.

Almost all the largest U.S. airports require masks. But confusion reigns at one of the biggest.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta Air Lines’ main hub, masks are required. At least according to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who issued an order requiring masks when in public, including the city-run airport.

But Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is suing the mayor and the Atlanta City Council over the requirement.

Further muddying the issue, Kemp recommends that everyone wear a face mask when outside their homes, which obviously includes the airport.

Is it any wonder that airlines and travelers are still wresting with mandatory mask-wearing?

randy.diamond@express-news.net

Masked passengers fill a Southwest Airlines flight from Burbank, Calif., to Las Vegas on June 3. Carriers have started banning passengers who refuse to wear a face covering.