United To Require Face Masks For Passengers Starting Friday

CHICAGO (CBS) -- If you're planning to fly on United, don't forget your mask.

Starting Friday, the Chicago-based airline will require passengers to wear masks or face coverings in all 360 airports it serves.

That's at every step, from check-in to baggage claim. If you don't comply, you'll be kept form boarding your flight or possibly banned from flying United again.

Passengers who believe they have circumstances that prevent them from wearing masks must get permission from United to opt out.

United said it lost more than $1.6 billion in the second quarter as the coronavirus sent air travel plunging. The Chicago-based airline plans to operate barely over one-third of its normal capacity through September.

It's borrowing billions to build a huge pile of cash that it hopes will let it hang on. United announced big layoffs could be coming. The airline is warning its workers that nearly half of them could be furloughed.