- American airports each have their own requirements when it comes to wearing face coverings with no federal mandate to require the practice.
- Travelers can depart from one airport that requires patrons to cover their face and then fly to another that doesn't.
- Business Insider reviewed policies at the top 25 busiest airports, according to a recent TripSavvy ranking, and found each had differing policies with no correlation between passenger numbers and stricter policies.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Every US airport has its own requirements on face coverings and social distancing.
A traveler can start in one airport that requires face coverings to be worn and arrive less than a few hours later at an airport with no such requirement, as Business Insider found on a recent trip to Atlanta, Charlotte, and Hartford Connecticut.
TripSavvy recently ranked the 25 busiest airports in the country pre-pandemic according to traffic numbers and Business Insider found that there was no consistency in their face covering rules after reviewing the policies of each. Some of the busiest airports in the country don't require any sort of face covering, despite having greater passenger numbers and connections to destinations both within the country and overseas.
Some airports can require the practice themselves while others are mandated to by their jurisdictions. Others have their hands tied, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found at Hartsfield-Jackson International with officials wanting to implement the policy but blocked from doing so by the state.
The Centers for Disease Control lists wearing a face covering on its list of recommended practices to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Wearing any covering helps prevent carriers of the virus from spreading it while wearing a respirator helps prevent the wearer from contracting the virus.
Here's a list of the face-covering requirements at the top 25 busiest airports.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: No
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Chicago's O'Hare International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Chicago Department of Aviation
Los Angeles International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Los Angeles International Airport
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: No
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and CBS News
John F. Kennedy International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: John F. Kennedy International Airport
Denver International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Denver International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: San Francisco International Airport
Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: McCarran International Airport via email
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes, except if under 10 years old
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Harris County, Texas
Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: No
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: No
Source: Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Miami International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Miami International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Orlando International Airport and Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
Newark Liberty International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Port of Seattle
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: No
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: No
Source: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County
Philadelphia International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Philadelphia International Airport
Boston's Logan International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Massport
LaGuardia Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Broward County
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: No, only when using airport restaurants and shops
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Washington's Dulles International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes, except passenger under 10 years old
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority
Salt Lake City International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: No
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: No
Source: Salt Lake City International Airport via phone
Chicago's Midway International Airport
Requiring its passengers to wear masks while in the airport: Yes
Requiring all public-facing workers to wear masks: Yes
Source: Chicago Department of Aviation