A number of airlines have waived the requirement to wear masks on their flights to and from the US, after an American judge overturned the Biden administration’s mask obligation.
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Judge Catherine Kimble Misel, who was appointed by Donald Trump and serves on the Florida federal court, ruled yesterday that the obligation to wear masks is illegal, and ruled that the American Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has exceeded their legal authority in this provision.
The CDC extended the mask duty until May 3rd. Following the ruling, a number of American airlines, including American Airlines, United, Delta, Southwest and Alaska Airlines, announced that the obligation to wear masks was canceled. The change applies to domestic flights and some foreign routes, and comes despite a majority in the United States supporting the continued obligation to wear masks. Videos uploaded to social media show cheering passengers when told by crew members that they can take off the masks.
British airlines were quick to act in the same way, while French and German airlines meanwhile maintained the obligation to wear the mask. British Airways said it had acted immediately to allow its passengers to choose whether they wanted to wear a mask on flights to the United States, similar to Virgin Atlantic. The United States has joined a number of Virgin destinations in the Caribbean where the masking on the way is optional, but passengers must still wear a mask on flights to South Africa, Hong Kong and India.
Lufthansa and Air France did not change their policy. Europe’s largest passenger airline, Rainier, still requires its passengers to wear a mask on all flights.
American companies like Uber, Lift and Amtrak have also removed the obligation to wear the mask. But the public transportation authorities of New York and Chicago have upheld the obligation to wear the mask.