For airlines, the mask mandate couldn’t end soon enough
For two years, covered faces in airports and on airplanes were a persistent reminder of the hold that the coronavirus had on air travel. The end of the mask mandate on planes and other forms of transportation this week marked the latest advance in the airline industry’s effort to return to normal. Passengers and flight crews greeted a federal judge’s ruling against the mandate on Monday with a mix of joy, relief and alarm. For some, the change introduced new stress because the coronavirus is still circulating and killing people. But for many others, it removed a major source of tension and discomfort. For flight attendants, pilots and others in the business, the mask mandate had become a source of frustration even as they acknowledged that it protected them during their extensive exposure to strangers. Flight crews had to enforce proper face coverings — a dangerous job in polarizing times. Some passengers refused to comply and became belligerent; in extreme cases, they even punched, kicked and bloodied flight attendants. “They don’t like being policemen on airplanes,” said David Neeleman, the founder of JetBlue Airways and now CE of Breeze Airways. “It’s not something that they signed up for, and I think it creates more agitation with customers.” The FAA started nearly 1,100 investigations into passenger misconduct last year, up from an average of 140 per year over the previous decade. The agency has started 345 investigations so far this year. Unions representing flight attendants and pilots have called on federal agencies to do more to penalize passengers who are violent or threaten violence. Some federal lawmakers have proposed tougher penalties for those convicted of assaulting flight crews and place those individuals on a no-fly list, but the prospects for the legislation are unclear in a closely divided Congress. Some Republicans said they were opposed to putting people on a no-fly list. The lifting of the mask requirement may help defuse some tension, and some attendants said it would give crew members back an important tool for de-escalating conflicts: their faces.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-04-20/general/for-airlines-the-mask-mandate-couldn2019t-end-soon-enough
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For airlines, the mask mandate couldn’t end soon enough
For two years, covered faces in airports and on airplanes were a persistent reminder of the hold that the coronavirus had on air travel. The end of the mask mandate on planes and other forms of transportation this week marked the latest advance in the airline industry’s effort to return to normal. Passengers and flight crews greeted a federal judge’s ruling against the mandate on Monday with a mix of joy, relief and alarm. For some, the change introduced new stress because the coronavirus is still circulating and killing people. But for many others, it removed a major source of tension and discomfort. For flight attendants, pilots and others in the business, the mask mandate had become a source of frustration even as they acknowledged that it protected them during their extensive exposure to strangers. Flight crews had to enforce proper face coverings — a dangerous job in polarizing times. Some passengers refused to comply and became belligerent; in extreme cases, they even punched, kicked and bloodied flight attendants. “They don’t like being policemen on airplanes,” said David Neeleman, the founder of JetBlue Airways and now CE of Breeze Airways. “It’s not something that they signed up for, and I think it creates more agitation with customers.” The FAA started nearly 1,100 investigations into passenger misconduct last year, up from an average of 140 per year over the previous decade. The agency has started 345 investigations so far this year. Unions representing flight attendants and pilots have called on federal agencies to do more to penalize passengers who are violent or threaten violence. Some federal lawmakers have proposed tougher penalties for those convicted of assaulting flight crews and place those individuals on a no-fly list, but the prospects for the legislation are unclear in a closely divided Congress. Some Republicans said they were opposed to putting people on a no-fly list. The lifting of the mask requirement may help defuse some tension, and some attendants said it would give crew members back an important tool for de-escalating conflicts: their faces.<br/>
