Garuda drops plan to replace face masks for cabin crew; Indonesia reports 1,041 new cases

Garuda Indonesia flight attendants welcome guests at the launch of the NEO Airbus A330-900 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten. - Jakarta Post/Asian News Network

JAKARTA POST (Jakarta Post/ANN): Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia on Friday (June 19) said it is scrapping a plan to replace the use of face masks for its flight attendants after passengers complained they could not tell “whether the cabin crew was smiling or frowning” because half of their face is covered.

Garuda president director Irfan Setiaputra previously announced the airline was considering face shields as an alternative to masks to ensure positive interactions between the cabin crew and travelers.