DFW and Love Field join airlines receding mask requirements

DFW AIRPORT (CBSDFW.COM) - First it was individual airlines, now airports across the country -- including Dallas Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field -- are making mask-wearing optional for both customers and employees.

One day after a judge voided the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mask mandate, DFW Airport issued the following statement - 

A similar move was made at Love Field with officials there sending out notices on social media. Administrators at the airport said they made the decision to drop the mask requirements after the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it would no longer carry out the mandate.

The district judge in Florida who made the initial ruling said the mandate "exceeds the CDC's statutory authority and violates the procedures required for agency rule-making under the APA."

After the court decision the TSA quickly issued an order saying that it would "no longer enforce its Security Directives and Emergency Amendment requiring mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs."

Several airlines, including Fort Worth-based American Airlines and Dallas-based Southwest Airlines have also made mask-wearing optional for both passengers and employees.

Officials with American issued a statement that said, "In accordance with the Transportation Security Administration no longer enforcing the federal face mask mandate, face masks will no longer be required for our customers and team members at U.S. airports and on domestic flights."

In a statement, Southwest said that its employees and customers "will be able to choose whether they would like to wear a mask on flights, at domestic airports, and at some international locations." The airline also said it would "continue supporting the comfort of those who travel with us by offering additional layers of protection."

Other airlines that now have a masks optional rule include -- Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue.

The U.S.'s largest air carriers had previously lobbied for the Biden administration to rescind the mask mandate, arguing that their aircrafts' air filtration systems combined with overall increased immunity from vaccinations made it unnecessary.