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Mask mandate 2 year old

Jer777
Explorer C

Hello. I'm new to this forum and really need an answer. I am planning on flying SW with my family at the end of June and I'm super nervous. I keep telling my husband and mother in law that our 2 year old will absolutely not wear a mask. We tried having him wear one to get him used to the feeling of having it on and it never goes over well. My question is, if we get on the plane and he refuses to wear his mask will we be kicked off? Or what if while in the air he rips it off? They clearly can't just throw us out of the plane while in the air, lol.  Please if anyone has experience or knowledge of what will happen, I greatly appreciate it and it will set my mind at ease. Thank you in advance! 

7 REPLIES 7

Re: Mask mandate 2 year old

parpitt1
Frequent Flyer A

Southwest did not create this rule. The rule is clear, 2 year olds must wear masks. This may sound mean, but consider an alternative method of travel from flying if your child will not follow your parental implementation of FAA rules.

 

Re: Mask mandate 2 year old

dfwskier
Aviator A

Every airline is required  to follow the rule: anyone aged 2 or more must wear a mask. I's not just Southwest.

 

Could you be required to leave the plane before departure if your child refuses to wear a mask: yes. The airline does not want to do that, but, again, you are dealing with a federal rule.

 

What happens if the same thing happens in the air? You would probably be confronted 

repeatedly by flight attendants who ask you to put a mask on you child. Don't expect each of the reminders to be "nice." Airline flight attendants are REQUIRED to enforce the federal rule.

 

Keep trying to get your child to wear a mask in the days before your flight. Maybe make it into a game. Batman, Batgirl, Superman, the Lone Ranger, an the Green Hornet were all mask wearers. If your child pretends to be one of them, it might actually make mask wearing fun.

Re: Mask mandate 2 year old

Jer777
Explorer C

Thank you for your response. I figured we would be told to get off of the plane but was hoping for a different answer. Two year olds are so little to fully understand the reasoning behind all of this. 

Re: Mask mandate 2 year old

bwallet
Frequent Flyer A

@Jer777 I, for one, agree that it is too much to expect a 2 year old to wear a mask. However, given that this is an FAA rule, I do not want FA's having any leniency. I don't say this to be harsh. It is simply a broader safety concern. FA's need to follow FAA rules and not be changing things.

 

Given that the new variants are increasingly virulent in children, I'm not sure I'd want a 2 year old flying without a mask. As the father of an 8 year old daughter, I desperately hope that a vaccine is approved for young children soon.

Re: Mask mandate 2 year old

SWFlyer007
Aviator C

Good suggestions from everyone.  I wouldn't rely on the mandate being loosened by the time you travel.  If for any reason you can postpone it to later, I'd suggest that you do.  This is the umpteenth time this has been addressed, you approached it in a far more constructive way than many others.  My answer is the same, kids are smarter than you think and do want to be like, and do like, others.  If they see masks all the time, they see it as a norm, not as something different.  You got the suggestion of making it a game.  It's just like wearing clothes, we are all born naked, and we want to stay naked and free, but we learn, forcibly, that you have to wear clothes, it's really not much different.  Work on shorter durations of time as you lead up to departure.  I'm sure that FA doesn't stand by your chair, if they can make small pockets of time and just have them drop it every so often (when FA has gone by) they should do just fine. 

Re: Mask mandate 2 year old

southofgrace
Explorer C

Whomever made this rule has clearly never spent any significant amount of time with a two year old. 😅

Re: Mask mandate 2 year old

bec102896
Aviator A

Maybe the mask mandate will be lifted by June or the age could change then you wouldn’t have to worry. Only time will tell