{"id":1400972,"date":"2022-03-25T17:15:12","date_gmt":"2022-03-25T21:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1400972"},"modified":"2022-03-25T17:15:14","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T21:15:14","slug":"airline-ceos-demand-end-of-federal-mask-mandate-these-rules-no-longer-make-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/airline-ceos-demand-end-of-federal-mask-mandate-these-rules-no-longer-make-sense\/","title":{"rendered":"Airline CEOs Demand End of Federal Mask Mandate: These Rules &#039;No Longer Make Sense&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fairline-ceos-demand-end-of-federal-mask-mandate-these-rules-no-longer-make-sense%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1400972&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">U.S. airlines are getting restless and putting pressure on the Biden administration to lift the federal mask mandate for air travel, concluding that it makes \u201cno sense\u201d as people are \u201callowed to congregate in crowded restaurants, schools and at sporting events without masks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This week, the Airlines for America\u2019s (A4A) Board of Directors sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airlines.org\/news\/a4a-urges-white-house-to-lift-predeparture-testing-requirements-mask-mandate\/\">letter<\/a> to the Biden White House, asking the president to\u00a0\u201csunset federal transportation travel restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cDuring the global health crisis, U.S. airlines have supported and cooperated with the federal government\u2019s measures to slow the spread of COVID-19,\u201d the letter reads, citing data indicating it is \u201cpast time to eliminate COVID-era transportation policies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur industry has leaned into science at every turn,\u201d the letter, signed by several airline leaders, continued, explaining how airlines \u201cvoluntarily implemented policies and procedures \u2014 mandating face coverings; requiring passenger health acknowledgements and contact tracing information; and enhancing cleaning protocols \u2013 to form a multi-layered approach to mitigate risk and prioritize the wellbeing of passengers and employees\u201d throughout the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>While they have complied with the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, they now say \u201cmuch has changed since these measures were imposed and they no longer make sense in the current public health context.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>The letter continues:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The persistent and steady decline of hospitalization and death rates are the most compelling indicators that our country is well protected against severe disease from COVID-19. Given that we have entered a different phase of dealing with this virus, we strongly support your view that \u201cCOVID-19 need no longer control our lives.\u201d Now is the time for the Administration to sunset federal transportation travel restrictions \u2013 including the international predeparture testing requirement and the federal mask mandate \u2013 that are no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The leaders devoted sections to the predeparture test requirement and mask mandates, specifically. On the former, they cited the World Health Organization (WHO), which \u201cnoted that \u2018the failure of travel restrictions introduced after the detection and reporting of Omicron variant to limit international spread of Omicron demonstrates the ineffectiveness of such measures over time.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They also made it clear that the science \u201cclearly supports lifting the mask mandate, as demonstrated by the recently released CDC framework indicating that 99 percent of the U.S. population no longer need to wear masks indoors.\u201d Instead of requiring masks, the Biden administration should allow people to make their own choice, they argued:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Several studies completed before we had the added layer of widespread availability of vaccines, including one from Harvard\u2019s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and another from the U.S. Department of Defense, have concluded that an airplane cabin is one of the safest indoor environments due to the combination of highly filtered air and constant air flow coupled with the downward direction of the air. Lifting the mask mandate in airports and onboard aircraft can be done safely as England has done. Importantly, the effectiveness and availability of high-quality masks for those who wish to wear them gives passengers the ability to further protect themselves if they choose to do so.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt 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,\u201d the letter reads, adding that the burden of enforcing the restrictions is taking a toll on employees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis 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,\u201d the letter continues, concluding that the absence of restrictions will\u00a0not only benefit the public but \u201cthousands of airline employees charged with enforcing a patchwork of now-outdated regulations implemented in response to COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several airline leaders signed the letter, including American Airlines Chairman and CEO W. Douglas Parker, Alaska Air Group CEO Ben Minicucci, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian, Atlas Air Worldwide President and CEO John W. Dietrich, Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter R. Ingram, FedEx Express\u00a0EVP and CEO Scot Struminger, JetBlue Airways CEO Robin Hayes, Southwest Airlines Chairman Gary C. Kelly, UPS Airlines President Brendan Canavan, United Airlines Holdings CEO Scott Kirby, and Airlines for America President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio.<\/p>\n<p>Biden, who originally pitched \u201cjust\u201d 100 days of masking, has shown no signs of lifting the mandate early as his administration continues to greenlight extensions. Earlier this month, the TSA extended the mask mandate,\u00a0which was was supposed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/health\/2022\/03\/10\/tsa-extending-mask-mandate-for-public-transportation-until-april-18\/\">to end<\/a> March 18, for another month. It is now scheduled to end April 18 \u2014 that is, if federal officials do not extend it yet again, as they have done repeatedly up til now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. airlines are getting restless and putting pressure on the Biden administration to lift the federal mask mandate for air travel, concluding that it makes \u201cno sense\u201d as people are<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1400972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1400972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1400972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1400972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1400972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1400972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1400972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}