US airlines seek end to Covid mask mandate despite passenger wariness
Airline executives and politicians are piling on pressure for the US to let Covid-19 mask rules expire on schedule next week, even as a majority of the public wants to keep them. Forced mask-wearing has caused friction in aircraft cabins. Last year, 72 per cent of a record 5,981 reports of unruly passengers were mask-related, according to the FAA, which proposed a total of $5m in fines for such behaviour. A diverse group of advocates wants to see the mask requirement disappear as it has within other indoor spaces. Next Monday the federal government’s order for travellers on public transport is set to lapse unless officials issue another extension. Domestic airlines have led the call to end the mandate, with chief executives of seven carriers including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines telling President Joe Biden in a letter last month that it was “no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment.” “It makes no sense that people are still required to wear masks on aeroplanes, yet are allowed to congregate in crowded restaurants, schools and at sporting events without masks,” especially when considering the quality of on-board air-filtration systems, the executives wrote. The executives stressed that airline employees were enduring the “burden” of enforcing the mask mandate and international pre-departure testing — another requirement they want eliminated — as conflicts with unruly passengers persist. At Southwest, the union representing flight attendants also supports lifting the mask rule, noting that getting people to obey is “one of the most difficult jobs we have ever faced”. However, the US’s largest cabin crew union, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, has opted not to take a position. Recent public opinion surveys indicated that many Americans want to keep aviation mask mandates in place, however. The Harris Poll found that 60% of people surveyed at the beginning of April supported keeping the mandate.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-04-13/general/us-airlines-seek-end-to-covid-mask-mandate-despite-passenger-wariness
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US airlines seek end to Covid mask mandate despite passenger wariness
Airline executives and politicians are piling on pressure for the US to let Covid-19 mask rules expire on schedule next week, even as a majority of the public wants to keep them. Forced mask-wearing has caused friction in aircraft cabins. Last year, 72 per cent of a record 5,981 reports of unruly passengers were mask-related, according to the FAA, which proposed a total of $5m in fines for such behaviour. A diverse group of advocates wants to see the mask requirement disappear as it has within other indoor spaces. Next Monday the federal government’s order for travellers on public transport is set to lapse unless officials issue another extension. Domestic airlines have led the call to end the mandate, with chief executives of seven carriers including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines telling President Joe Biden in a letter last month that it was “no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment.” “It makes no sense that people are still required to wear masks on aeroplanes, yet are allowed to congregate in crowded restaurants, schools and at sporting events without masks,” especially when considering the quality of on-board air-filtration systems, the executives wrote. The executives stressed that airline employees were enduring the “burden” of enforcing the mask mandate and international pre-departure testing — another requirement they want eliminated — as conflicts with unruly passengers persist. At Southwest, the union representing flight attendants also supports lifting the mask rule, noting that getting people to obey is “one of the most difficult jobs we have ever faced”. However, the US’s largest cabin crew union, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, has opted not to take a position. Recent public opinion surveys indicated that many Americans want to keep aviation mask mandates in place, however. The Harris Poll found that 60% of people surveyed at the beginning of April supported keeping the mandate.<br/>
