March 13, 2025, 10:47 a.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
Are you one of those people who changes seats on the bus when the person sitting next to you coughs and sneezes? In case of doubt, this is not possible on a plane. A passenger experienced exactly this situation and asked the person next to her, who was obviously cold, to put on a mask - with unexpected consequences. The incident sparked heated discussions online. Who is in the right and how should one behave in such a case? Sunnytrips explains.
During the corona pandemic, mouth and nose protection was part of everyday life. Wearing masks was mandatory at times, both when traveling and in everyday life. For many people, this experience has permanently increased awareness of the risks of infection. This was probably what prompted a passenger on a United Airlines flight to ask her “wet-coughing, sneezing and nose-dripping” seatmate to put on a mask. She described the scene in detail on the user platform Reddit, where she is active under the name Lex_Mariner.
Requests to wear a mask have surprising consequences
Does the sick person sitting next to me have to wear a mask?
Flight attendant: »This is how I would have handled the situation
Requests to wear a mask have surprising consequences
The person addressed reacted angrily, writes Lex_Mariner on Reddit. Instead of putting on the mask, she pressed the service button. A flight attendant came and, to her surprise, reprimanded the petitioner, who believed she was in the right. “You can’t ask another passenger to wear a mask,” the airline employee snapped at her. As Lex_Mariner further reports, she was then moved “to a middle seat near the toilets”. The cold woman then took the much better Economy Plus seat in the aisle.
The story doesn't end here. The post has now received around 1,800 comments on Reddit, many of which, according to Lex_Mariner, implied that she had behaved rudely. However, she must vehemently contradict this. In fact, the tenor of the comments is ambiguous. Many users find the request anything but unreasonable - some even call for the “outrageous” United Airlines flight attendant to be reprimanded. “Of course you can ask someone sitting next to you who is sick to wear a mask,” is one comment. Whether this wish will be fulfilled is another question.
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Does the sick person sitting next to me have to wear a mask?
Who is right? The person who wants to protect themselves from an obviously sick fellow traveler? Or the passenger who refuses to wear a mask?
Sunnytrips interviewed the Frankfurt lawyer Frank Berresheim. He explains that the duty of care contained in the contract of carriage could theoretically give rise to a secondary duty under which the airline can require a sick person to wear a mask. Briefly to explain: Airlines' duty of care serves, among other things, the safety of passengers on board and also includes protection against possible dangers and health risks. The specific implementation of this obligation is at the discretion of the respective airline.
At United Airlines there does not appear to be a corresponding additional obligation. At least that's how the flight attendant's behavior could be interpreted. What is it like in Germany?
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Flight attendant: »This is how I would have handled the situation
“I would have moved the passenger too,” explains a Lufthansa flight attendant, who wishes to remain anonymous, when asked by Sunnytrips. That would be the logical approach – assuming, of course, that there are still free places available. And if not? "Then the person who wants to avoid infection could put on a mask themselves. If they don't have one with them, that's no problem, we have enough on board."
If this offer doesn't appeal and the plane is still on the ground, according to our insider, there is a third option: The person who doesn't want to put up with the person sitting next to him with a cold could free themselves from the situation - and get out again. In plain language: "It's not possible to move, the mask doesn't work? Then ciao, feel free to take the next plane," is how the flight attendant sums it up.
Unless there is a legal requirement to wear a mask or special regulations such as house rules apply, you have no right to require another person - be it the person sitting next to you or someone else - to wear a mask. If you want to protect yourself from infection, you can either put on a mask yourself or leave the affected area.
By the way: In the case described above, an infection is said to have occurred. At least that's what Lex_Mariner claims. Her husband, who had remained sitting near the woman who had a cold, also fell ill a few days later. She doesn't explain why he didn't put on a mask himself.
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