“Masks Don’t Add Much” Additional Protection Against Covid – Southwest CEO Sparks Backlash After Questioning the Need for Masks on Planes

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly on Wednesday said “masks don’t add much” additional protection against Covid on planes because airborne pathogens are captured by the HEPA filtering system.

Gary Kelly made this statement during a hearing on airline oversight before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

“The statistics, I recall, is that 99.97 percent of airborne pathogens are captured by the HEPA [high-efficiency particulate air] filtering system, and it’s turned over every two or three minutes,” Kelly said.

“I think the case is very strong that masks don’t add much, if anything, in the air cabin,” he said. “The environment is very safe, very high quality compared to any other indoor setting.”