FAQ about the FFP2-mask

During your journey with Austrian Airlines, FFP2-masks must be worn until further notice, in accordance with a decree issued by the Austrian Federal Government. Higher classified masks, such as FFP3-masks without a valve, may also be worn. 

Please note that medical mouth-nose protection, visors or all masks with valves are not permitted. They do not provide comparable protection. 

The obligation to wear masks applies on board Austrian flights and also at all Austrian airports. Please bring your own high-quality protective mask for your own and others' protection and wear it during the entire flight. Our crews also wear an FFP2-mask throughout their stay on board. 

Passengers between 6 and 14 years of age and pregnant women may travel with normal mouth-nose protection; children under 6 years of age are still exempt from the obligation to wear masks. If you cannot wear a mask for health reasons, a negative Covid-19 test not older than 48 hours at the scheduled start of the journey and a medical certificate on our Austrian Airlines form must be available. 

Unless you wear a mask and meet the requirements of this exemption, we must exclude you from carriage. Airports have also put measures in place to increase hygiene and physical distance. Wearing an FFP2-mask is also mandatory at the airport.

Please follow the local instructions and guidelines given in each case. Please also note that restaurants and shops at the airport might still be closed. Please check the websites of the respective airports.

Wearing an FFP2-mask is mandatory in the terminal. There are markings on the floor in all waiting areas to ensure that the minimum distance of 2 metres is maintained. Only every second seat can be used in the lounge areas. Posters, digital displays and multilingual loudspeaker announcements additionally point out the applicable distance rules. In addition, trained personnel are on duty on site to draw attention to the minimum distance where necessary.

When making purchases in the shops at the airport, we ask you to pay for them without cash.

At the check-in counters, ticket counters and wherever there is direct contact between you and our staff, panes of Plexiglas serve to protect your health. In addition, numerous dispensers with hand disinfectant are available. Surfaces that are touched often are cleaned and disinfected frequently and regularly.

At many airports, you can also check in contactlessly at corresponding kiosks or with your smartphone and check in your baggage contactlessly via the Fast Bag Drop.

Wearing an FFP2-mask is mandatory in the terminal. There are markings on the floor in all waiting areas to ensure that the minimum distance of 2 metres is maintained.Posters, digital displays and multilingual loudspeaker announcements additionally point out the applicable distance rules. In addition, trained personnel are on duty on site to draw attention to the minimum distance where necessary.

At the check-in counters, ticket counters and wherever there is direct contact between you and our staff, Plexiglas screens are used to protect your health. These colleagues are therefore not required to wear masks. Where the protection provided by a plexiglass screen is not guaranteed, Austrian staff are also required to wear FFP2 masks.

In addition, numerous dispensers with hand disinfectant are available. Surfaces that are touched often are cleaned and disinfected frequently and regularly. With the option of regular hand disinfection or hand washing, there is no need to wear gloves.

At many airports, you can also check in contactlessly at corresponding kiosks or with your smartphone and check in your baggage contactlessly via the Fast Bag Drop.

Yes. If it is necessary to check your ID or passport photo, you may be asked to remove your mask.

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 contracting the virus during a flight is extremely low. The aircraft of Lufthansa Group Airlines are equipped with filters that purify the cabin air. All circulated air is filtered and cleaned of impurities such as dust, bacteria and viruses from the cabin air. The filtered air makes up about 40 percent of the air on board. The rest is supplied as fresh air from outside. The filtration efficiency of these filters meets the standards for filters in clinical operating theatres. Thanks to these special filters, the cabin air is cleaner than the air people breathe on earth. In addition, the air flow in aircraft is from top to bottom. There is no horizontal air flow from side to side or along the length of the aircraft. As of today, there are no known cases of contagion on our flights.

Yes, every passenger must wear a mask on board. The only exceptions to this requirement are children under the age of six and passengers who cannot wear a mask due to certain health problems. In this case, a current medical certificate using the Austrian Form and an officially recognised Covid-19 negative test (PCR test) issued within 48 hours prior to the scheduled departure time are required.

Irrespective of the current coronavirus situation, there are clear procedures on board for cases where the cabin crew suspects that a passenger has an infectious disease. Some of these procedures include the following measures: isolating the passenger by relocating them on board, use of disinfectant, use of personal protective equipment by crew members and immediate notification of this information to the authorities at the destination.

Please note that these masks must not have an exhalation valve, otherwise the protective effect of the masks for your fellow passengers will be limited.

Should you personally decide to wear FFP3-masks WITHOUT a valve on board, you may of course do so.