FAQs about nose and mouth coverings

It is mandatory to wear a mask during your journey with Austrian Airlines. Wear your mask on board during your entire stay on board – just like our crew. The mask must cover your nose and mouth and must not be fitted with a valve. Please also note that visors and any masks with a valve are not permitted on board. They allow the breath to flow strongly out to the sides and so do not provide the same level of protection as a face mask. 

We can only permit exceptions to the mandatory wearing of masks if you present a current negative PCR test result (no older than 48 hours) together with a medical certificate on the Lufthansa Group form.  

If you are not wearing a mask and do not meet the requirements of this exemption, we must exclude you from carriage. Airports have also taken measures to increase hygiene and physical distancing. The wearing of a nose and mouth covering is also mandatory at the airport.

Please always follow the instructions and guidelines given to you locally. Please also note that airport restaurants and shops may still be closed. Please check this on the website of the airport concerned.

Airports have also taken measures to increase hygiene and physical distancing. The wearing of a nose and mouth covering is also mandatory at the airport.

The wearing of face masks is mandatory throughout the terminal facilities. There are markers on the floor in all waiting areas so that the minimum safe distance of 1.5 metres is maintained. In the lounge areas only every second seat may be used. Posters, digital displays and multilingual loudspeaker announcements also remind passengers of the current social distancing rules. In addition, trained personnel will be on duty at the airport to alert travellers to the need to maintain a safe distance – where necessary.

We ask that you use contactless payment when making purchases 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 many airports, you can also use your smartphone for contactless check-in at the relevant kiosks and can check in your bags without personal contact at the Fast Bag Drop.

The wearing of face masks is mandatory throughout the terminal facilities. There are markers on the floor in all waiting areas so that the minimum safe distance of 1.5 metres is maintained. Posters, digital displays and multilingual loudspeaker announcements also remind passengers of the current social distancing rules. In addition, trained personnel will be on duty at the airport to alert travellers to the need to maintain a safe distance – where necessary.

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, Austrian 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. As they are able to disinfect their hands with sanitiser or wash their hands regularly, there is no need for check-in staff to wear gloves.

At many airports, you can also use your smartphone for contactless check-in at the relevant kiosks and can check in your bags without personal contact at 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 nose and mouth covering. The crew will inform you accordingly.

In general, the risk of becoming infected with the virus during a flight is extremely low. The aircraft of Lufthansa Group airlines are equipped with filters that clean the cabin air. All the circulating air is filtered and impurities such as dust, bacteria and viruses are cleaned 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. There have so far been no known cases of infection on our flights.

Yes. Yes, every passenger on board must wear a mask. Only children under the age of six years and passengers who cannot wear masks due to certain health problems are exempt. If this is the case, you must present a current medical certificate using the Lufthansa Group form and an officially recognised negative Covid-19 test (PCR test) issued within 48 hours of the scheduled time of departure.

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 using this type of mask is not permitted if it has an exhalation valve because this makes the masks less effective in protecting your fellow passengers.

If you personally choose to wear an FFP2/FFP3 mask WITHOUT a valve on board, you may of course do so. FFP2/FFP3 masks have a relatively high airway resistance which can cause health problems to people with pre-existing conditions. Furthermore, even healthy people often have problems wearing these masks throughout an entire flight. Our protection plan requires the universal use of masks. This way, everyone protects their fellow passengers.

Please consider the increased airway resistance and take other masks with you on board in case you are unable to wear the FFP2/FFP3 mask throughout the entire flight.