Airline industry urges end to mask requirements as deadline approaches: "We need to remove these mandates"
It has been one of the most controversial topics in American aviation during the pandemic — and a trigger for violent passenger attacks.
The current federal requirement to mask on planes and other public transportation is set to expire Monday, April 18, but the Biden administration has yet to decide whether to extend or end the mandate. While travelers have mixed feelings about a possible extension, the airline industry is renewing its push for the government to drop the rule.
"We need to remove these mandates," said Roger Dow, president of the U.S. Travel Association, which, along with three other industry groups, has cited the "economic costs" as one of the reasons to end travel mask rules for all.
The approaching deadline comes as COVID-19 infections begin to surge again in some parts of the U.S., with more than two dozen states reporting a jump in cases over the past week.
Some fliers say it's time for them to decide whether to mask up or not.
"They should have given the people a choice whether they wanted to wear it or not from the beginning," said John Delgado, a passenger at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
"I don't really care. I would continue wearing mine," traveler Ana Veciana-Suarez said.
Most Americans seem to favor an extension. A recent survey by The Harris Poll COVID-19 tracker found that six in 10 people support extending the travel mask mandate.
One of the big reasons this has become such a flashpoint is that it is one of the last bastions of mask mandates. COVID-19 restrictions were largely relaxed across the country following a wave of Omicron cases earlier this year. And even as cities like Philadelphia reinstate indoor mask rules amid a surge of infections in recent days, hospitalizations and deaths have not seen a major increase.
"We have an unpredictable virus with many variants. But we're seeing again and again these variants are less severe," Dow told CBS News' transportation correspondent Errol Barnett.
In a recent letter to Dr. Ashish Jha, the new White House coronavirus response coordinator, several airline groups cited guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that says "the overwhelming majority of the country no longer needs to wear masks indoors."
Allie Malis, the government affairs representative for American Airlines' flight attendant union, said health and scientific data have to be "at the core" of any decision going forward.
"We all look forward to the day when masks are no longer needed," she said. "But until that day, it's really important that we're all cooperating."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that the CDC has yet to determine its next move.
In the U.K., where coronavirus restrictions were dropped last month, multiple airlines have had to cancel more flights out of London than usual, citing staffing shortages because of COVID-19.