Chief executives of major U.S. airlines urged President Biden on Wednesday to drop “outdated” mask mandates on airplanes and the international pre-departure testing requirement.
In a letter to the administration from Airlines for America, the CEOs said “Now is the time for the Administration to sunset federal transportation travel restrictions – including the international predeparture testing requirement and the federal mask mandate – that are no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment”.
Earlier this month, the mandate was extended through April 18, after it was originally set to expire on March 18.
It is unclear whether the Biden administration will continue to extend the mandate or if it will come to an end in April.
The letter also said “It is critical to recognize that the burden of enforcing both the mask and predeparture testing requirements has fallen on our employees for two years now”.
“This is not a function they are trained to perform and subjects them to daily challenges by frustrated customers. This in turn takes a toll on their own well-being,” it continued.
“We are requesting this action not only for the benefit of the traveling public but also for the thousands of airline employees charged with enforcing a patchwork of now-outdated regulations implemented in response to COVID-19,” the CEOs said.
The letter was signed by the CEOs of Alaska Air Group, American Airlines, Atlas Air Worldwide, Delta Airlines, FedEx Express, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines Holdings, UPS Airlines and Airlines for America.
“It makes no sense that people are still required to wear masks on airplanes, yet are allowed to congregate in crowded restaurants, schools and at sporting events without masks, despite none of these venues having the protective air filtration system that aircraft do,” the explained.
“We appreciate @POTUS’ leadership throughout the COVID-19 crisis, and the U.S. aviation industry has leaned into science at every turn. However, these policies no longer make sense in the current public health context,” tweeted Airlines for America.
