Norwegian Air Shuttle changed its covid-era mask policy on April 4, now allowing passengers to forgo face coverings on all of its flights. At present, Japan Airlines doesn't require passengers to wear a face mask, but it strongly recommends passengers do so and warns that going barefaced . Shortly after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, mask-wearing became the new reality for most people across the globe. In a statement, the airline said it "will respect anyone's decision to choose whether to wear (Definition of exposed - you have been within 6 feet of someone with COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period.). 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. Southwest Airlines Celebrates 15 Years of Service in Denver, Southwests First Mother/Daughter Pilot Duo Takes Flight. American also dropped the rule on Monday, saying passengers and staff will no longer be required to wear masks at the airline's airport or on domestic flights. 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Without more government regulation and oversight and greater accountability, we may see more fiascos like this one, which most likely stranded hundreds of thousands of Southwest passengers perhaps more than a million over Christmas week. text-decoration:underline; With the mandate now expired, several US airlines are joining a handful of European carriers by dropping the rule on aircraft. Like recent guidance regarding masks in other settings, the CDC says any revision will be based on the levels of COVID-19 at the community level, as well as on the risk of new variants, national data and the latest science. Media Release. Southwest Airlines Southwest announced Monday it would be mask-optional going forward and welcomed those who decide to keep wearing masks. Jacob Sullum. But Airlines for America, the industry's trade group, together with other travel industry associations and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on Saturday, sent a letter to White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeffrey Zients requesting that the mask mandate be repealed by March 18or "provide a clear roadmap to remove the mask mandate without 90 days.". Southwest Airlines canceled 2,500 more flights on Tuesday, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers as the company's holiday travel nightmare continues. Sun Country tweeted on Monday that passengers and staff can wear masks if they choose. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. 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. A court ruling this week ended the federal mandate requiring people to wear masks on planes and other public transportation. President Joe Biden recently extended the rule until March 18, 2022. We appreciate the cooperation and compliance efforts of our Customers and Employees as policies have evolved. Additionally, Southwest will continue supporting the comfort of those who travel with us by offering additional layers of protection, including sophisticated cabin air ventilation systems onboard our aircraft which incorporate HEPA air filtration that removes at least 99.97% of airborne particles. Others have disputed . That formula for success brought industry-leading prosperity and 47 consecutive years3of profitability for Southwest Shareholders (NYSE: LUV). "While the Transportation Security Administration, TSA, is no longer enforcing its mask mandate, it may take time for individual airports to roll back their mask requirements," the airline said in a statement. Don't chance it. The U.S. government and businesses spent a staggering $100 billion to fix the underlying problem in a massive, multiyear effort. This failing appears to be a key factor in why Southwest Airlines couldn't return to business as usual the way other airlines did after last week's major winter storm. Cases have been rising, but hospitalizations have remained relatively low. With the national mask mandate on airplanes and mass public transit voided this week by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, face masks are now optional on area mass transit . background-color: #3b5998 !important; As a result of this development, effective immediately, Southwest Employees and Customers will be able to choose whether they would like to wear a mask on flights, at domestic airports, and at. Learn what to do if youre feeling sick, if you need to wear a mask onboard or in the airport, and more. Alaska Airlines: Masks are optional in U.S. airports and onboard aircraft, effective immediately. color: #111B40; However, the past few months have shown a decline in COVID cases, and many places around the world are dropping the mask mandate altogether. } 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. Following the decision, American Airlines, Delta, and Southwest quickly announced that passengers and staff would no longer be asked to wear masks on their planes. The CDC advises that you wear a well-fitting, high-quality mask ideally an N95 or equivalent for 10 days following your exposure. Multiple airlines on Monday said they would no longer enforce COVID mask mandates for employees and travelers after a federal judge's move to void the Biden administration's mask mandate for . "We encourage individuals to make the best. } American Airlines said "face masks will no longer be required for our customers and team members at U.S. airports and on domestic flights." "Please note face masks may still be required based on . "Passengers and employees still have the option to wear masks in airports and on aircraft if they so choose.". External site which may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Mask mandates in airports and on planes will continue until April 18. A photo illustration showing a planes tail on the screen of an old computer. Southwest Airlines Launches Sale with Fares as Low as $49 One-Way. Finnair dropped the face mask mandate on April 25th. 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. 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. Jan 10, 2023 - Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) today launches its seasonal fare sale through Jan. 12, 2023, offering fares as low as $49 one-way for travel taking place Jan. 31, 2023, through May 17, 2023. padding: 0; Every night, we deep clean each plane from nose to tail for more than 6 hours. April 2021: Federal mask mandateextended through Sept. 13. ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. Southwest Airlines Co.operates one of the worlds most admired and awarded airlines, offering its one-of-a-kind value and Hospitality at 121 airports across 11 countries. 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. Our systems were overwhelmed by the scale of the disruption, Chris Perry, a Southwest spokesman, told me. This failing appears to be a key factor in why Southwest Airlines couldnt return to business as usual the way other airlines did after last weeks major winter storm. The agency left the door open to an earlier termination of the policy, should the science support that. /* Fare chart comparison flyby */ The union issued a letter Thursday to federal officials and the White House. AIRLINES OFFER FREE CHANGESon many plane tickets. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Well, if you are a corporate executive whose compensation is tied to stock prices and earnings statements released every three months, there are strong incentives to address any immediate problem by essentially adding a bit of duct tape and wire to what you already have, rather than spending a large amount of money updating software is costly and difficult to address the root problem. "While this means that our employees are no longer required to wear a mask and no longer have to enforce a mask requirement for most of the flying public they will be able to wear masks if they choose to do so, as the CDC continues to strongly recommend wearing a mask on public transit,'' the airline said in a statement. The aircraft landed safely. A Facebook post describing multiple ways for a woman to "snag" a husband from the 1950s has gone viral for all the wrong reasons. of Southwest in 2004, retired this year, with an estimated net worth in the tens of millions of dollars, so the crisis did indeed occur under someone elses tenure. .air-check-in-edit-contact-information-banner--link { By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider These are the kind of efforts that may not be widely visible but make all the difference. There is information in the previous heading. Monday, April 18, 2022, 7:00 PM. She graduated from UCF and returned to Central Florida after working in Colorado. Frontier Airlines: Effective immediately, passengers and employees are no longer required to wear masks on Frontier flights. The mandate is currently set to end on April 18. The U.S. has fairly robust vaccination rates, although a portion of the population has not. The Biden administration announced on Tuesday evening that it would appeal the court ruling throwing out the mask mandate. It also offers several travel-related tips on the subject including a very unique one that involves an airport shuttle. The Transportation Security Administration is . "Obviously, that's going to be driven by the medical experts and not by the airlines, and we'll follow their guidance,"he said on the airline's quarterly earnings conference call. "We understand some guests may want to continue wearing face coverings on flights, and that's perfectly fine under our optional policy," the airline said in a statement, USA Today reported. The trade organizations represent some of the biggest players in the U.S. travel industry, including airlines American, Delta and United, and hotel companies Marriott and Hilton. 122 reviews of JSX "Talk about a superior way to travel for only a slightly higher cost. If, after five days, your symptoms are improving and you remain fever free for at least 24 hours, you can end isolation and wear a mask for the next five days while in public places. External site which may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. resulting in depressurization of the cabin and deployment of the oxygen masks. A group of pilots is suing the CDC over mask policies on airplanes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and airline rules give pilots the latitude to remove face masks if. British low-cost carrier Jet2 was the first airline in the UK to scrap mask requirements on planes, relaxing the rule on March 1. Once a saver, always a saver: Warren Buffett says generational wealth isnt what it used to be in his annual letter Its bigger than the housing crisis: An influential economist just blamed NIMBYs for American decline, and Elon Musk CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information.