text-decoration:underline; April 2021: Federal mask mandateextended through Sept. 13. TSA's travel mask mandate has been extended a month, to April 18, 2022. "If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us via dm!". Jordan says that the new rulings are in line with how passengers feel about traveling at this stage of the pandemic. It looks like the mask mandate on airplanes won't be in place an extra two weeks after all. No, federal law no longer requires that masks be worn in the airport or on the plane, but certain cities or states may still be requiring them at their airports. Soon after, the TSA said it would no longer enforce mask-wearing on planes or other public transportation but noted the"CDC recommends that people continue to wear masks in indoor public transportation settings.". as well as other partner offers and accept our. A group of CEOs from all major U.S. airlines called on President Joe Biden to lift the federal mask mandate on public transportation. On Monday, a federal judge issued a decision stating the federal mask mandate for public transportation, including on airlines and at airports, is no longer in effect. The U.S. government and businesses spent a staggering $100 billion to fix the underlying problem in a massive, multiyear effort. "Please be kind and respectful of individual choices, and remember that wearing a mask while flying on Breeze is still an option if you choose to do so," the airline posted on its website. In the letter, the heads of Jet Blue, Southwest, Delta, American Airlines and others said the requirement is no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment.. The Biden administration announced on Tuesday evening that it would appeal the court ruling throwing out the mask mandate. left: 277px !important; Please test for COVID-19 if you are symptomatic. 03-23-2021 11:04 PM. As of March 16, Virgin Atlantic has changed its mask rules to be optional on flights from Heathrow and Manchester to the Caribbean. Technical debt is real debt. Southwest Airlines canceled 2,500 more flights on Tuesday, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers as the company's holiday travel nightmare continues. Airlines began requiring masks before the government did. "For our guests traveling internationally, please remember to check country-specific airport requirements before traveling.". In this 2020 photo, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant prepares a plane for takeoff at the Kansas City International airport in Kansas City, Mo. Finnair became the latest airline to scrap mask requirements on its flights to and from destinations that no longer require it. U-TURN IN THE AIR: Woman refuses to wear mask on flight to London, so pilot heads back to Florida, 'SIT DOWN, KAREN': Delta passenger removed from flight after mask dispute. Airlines and local transit authorities will now create and enforce their own mask policies. text-decoration: none !important; TSA's travel mask mandate has been extended a month, to April 18, 2022. "We appreciate your patience and understanding as we update our communications and announcements to reflect this change.". Share. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Airlines Make Masks Optional. In a statement announcing the removal of the mask requirement, Southwest emphasized that the decision to unmask would come down to the individual traveler. "Given travel's slow economic recovery, and in light of the improved public health metrics in the U.S. and medical advancements to prevent the worst outcomes of COVID-19, we encourage the administration to immediately remove travel requirements that no longer fit with the current environment and to set clear timelines and metrics for when others will be lifted,"the letter said. The data has told us over a long period of time here that customers are increasingly comfortable flying, Jordan said, adding that removing mask requirements should bring even more people back to traveling. A Southwest Airlines flight attendant, wearing one mask, demonstrates the use of an oxygen mask at the outset of flight from Burbank, California, to Las Vegas in June 2021. April 11, 2022 / 5:15 PM / MoneyWatch. Computers become increasingly capable and powerful by the year, and new hardware is often the most visible cue for technological progress. 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The Transportation Security Administration is extending the current mandate for mask use on public transportation and in transportation hubs through April 18. Bottom line "I think the case is very strong that masks don't add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment," Kelly said. "Our youngest passengers do not yet have access to the vaccine. Airlines,unions and consumer advocates pushed the federal government for months to mandate the policy, so flight attendants would have backing when encountering passenger resistance but found no support from President Donald Trump's administration. Under President Trump, there was no government mandate around masking, but airlines, including Delta, issued their own mask requirements dating back to the start of the pandemic in spring 2020.. Southwest Airlines allows passengers to wear a disposable mask or cloth face covering with at least two layers of tightly woven breathable fabric. } } United Airlines:Effective immediately, masks are no longer required at United on domestic flights, select international flights (dependent upon the arrival countrys mask requirements) or at U.S. airports. html[lang="es"] div.footer div.flex-placement > div:nth-child(8) { With COVID cases on the decline, some European airlines have also dropped the mandate on certain routes. We encourage individuals to make the best decision to support their personal wellbeing. "But it will be relatively short-term because airlines will adjust their capacity to manage demand and protect their network integrity.". .air-check-in-edit-contact-information-banner--link { Ultimately, the problem is that we havent built a regulatory environment in which companies have incentives to address technical debt, rather than passing the burden on to customers, employees or the next management. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. .swa-footer--copyright-text a:hover{ December 29, 2022. In the letter, the heads of JetBlue, Southwest, Delta, American Airlines and others said the requirement is no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment.. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. For starters, Southwest Airlines COVID rules state that if you're flying domestically within the U.S., you don't need proof of a negative COVID-19 test before boarding. When I talk about technical debt, many people point to the Y2K scare, which seems to offer a perfect example. We had available crews and aircraft, but our technology struggled to align our resources due to the magnitude and scale of the disruptions. Then when the pandemic hit, like other airlines, Southwest received billions from the government in grants and low-interest loans. html[lang="es"] .header-flyout--promo-section .link--text div:nth-of-type(1) { font-size: ; } Southwest has a "customer of size" policy in which the cost of a second seat is refunded for any plus-sized travelers who take up more room than one seat. Flying soon? We are looking at a huge summer of travel and they dont want to deal with employees struggling and quitting after they struggled to build up staff all pandemic long., A month ago, a Louisiana man was taken off a Southwest flight at Orlando International Airport after he reportedly became irate over being forced to wear a mask, according to an arrest affidavit. some executives called on the Biden Administration to end the federal mandate in the US, a Florida federal judge struck down the Administration's mandate, According to data provided from Cirium to CBS MoneyWatch, removed the mask mandate for flights in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway in October, The Netherlandshas scrapped the mask mandate. Finnair dropped the face mask mandate on April 25th. (opens popup). The court ruling moved up the timeline, barring any appeals, so passengers boarding flights late Monday did so without masks for the first time in nearly two years. In mid-January, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said it was premature to speculate on when passengers would be able to fly without masks. There is information in the previous heading. More than 15,000 of its flights were canceled starting on Dec. 22, including more than 2,300 canceled this past Thursday almost a week after the storm had passed. (The company said his compensation was set before the pandemic.) left: 277px !important; Companies can also be substantively fined for major failures like this one. For additional information, we also invite you to contact Airlines for America, our trade association, for an industry perspective on this development. Citing the changing guidelines surrounding hospitalization rates and local pandemic requirements, a number of travel industry stakeholders had hoped to see the mask mandate expire on the original March 18 cutoff. The agency left the door open to an earlier termination of the policy, should the science support that. No one except infants can claim an exemption, nor can people try using masks that aren't helpful in preventing the spread. left: 467px !important; However, on Monday, a Florida federal judge struck down the Administration's mandate. Southwest announced on its website that masks are optional for employees and passengers, saying "we encourage individuals to make the best decision to support their personal wellbeing." Southwest Airlines Co. All Rights Reserved. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. height: 1px; The Y2K incident is also a remarkable testament to how fast hardware has been advancing. Alaska Airlines "Due to a judicial decision in our federal court system, the mask mandate has been overturned, which means our guests and employees have the option to wear a mask while traveling . 2023 Southwest Airlines Co. All Rights Reserved. News 6 is Getting Results. Such breakdowns resulting from technical debt are often triggered by external events, like weather, and can be worsened by other dynamics, such as the fact that Southwest has more point-to-point flights than most airlines, which use a hub-and-spoke model, in which passengers are ferried to major hubs like Atlanta and Dallas from their origin and then put on different planes to their final destinations. content: "(That money is all yours. John Brant, the vice president for product strategy at Arcos, a company that sells work force management software to airlines and other companies, told me that thats how it works for many other airlines. Before the year 2000, when computer memory was really expensive, software programs used two digits, instead of four, to indicate the year: e.g., 81 instead of 1981. The US requirements for masks on airlines have ended, and several international airlines, particularly in Europe, have recently eliminated mandatory masking on flights, as well. If you had the option of not adhering to strict earthquake or fire codes i.e., if there was little or no regulation or oversight it would almost inevitably be cheaper and quicker to skip such niceties. "Passengers and employees still have the option to wear masks in airports and on aircraft if they so choose.". Masks connected to tubing or battery-operated filters Currently, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has mandated that masks be worn on all public transportation, including in. Mask mandates in airports and on planes will continue until April 18. By empowering its more than 55,0002People to deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a passionate loyalty among as many as 130 million Customers carried a year. The Equifax C.E.O., Richard Smith, did resign. Southwest Communications is sharing news with the world. The carrier says masks are still required on flights to and from Scotland, as well as overseas countries that still require them. The group. The CDC advises that you wear a well-fitting, high-quality mask - ideally an N95 or equivalent for 10 days following your exposure. That remarkable progress in hardware shouldnt obscure the critically important fact that software doesnt just come along by itself. ", He and other executivestestified without masks on, andKelly tested positive for the coronavirussoon after. Following the decision, American Airlines . Southwest Airlines also has a policy requiring employees to wear face masks. #call_to_action_qdnph80bc1i, #call_to_action_oxew9f4k2gj{color:#ffffff;} New Arrival. Icelandair has also updated its mask policy to be optional on some routes, including flights within Iceland, and to or from Europe and Greenland. Obviously, that wasnt going to work in the new millennium, when confusions between 1905 and 2005 could have caused programs to glitch or crash on an epic scale. position: absolute; "You may experience inconsistent enforcement during the next 24 hours as this news is more broadly communicated remember to show understanding and patience with others who may not be aware enforcement is no longer required. The Transportation Security Administration is . Charlie Riedel/AP } Clear masks . Likewise, in October of 2021, when Southwest experienced another cancellation crisis, the president of the pilots union pointed out that the antiquated crew-scheduling technology was leading to cascading disruptions. Updated: 8:23 PM EDT April 18, 2022. And these. display: block; "In keeping with our commitment to creating a welcoming environment for everyone who travels with us, customers and team members may choose to continue to wear masks at their own discretion.". 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