A group of airline CEOs called on Joe Biden to end the federal mask mandate on public transportation, arguing it is “no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment.”
CEOs of Alaska Air, Atlas Air, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, FedEx Express, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, UPS Airlines and Airlines for America signed the letter.
“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 letter reads.
“Now is the time for the Administration to sunset federal transportation travel restrictions – including the international pre-departure testing requirement and the federal mask mandate – that are no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment,” the letter continued.
“We are encouraged by the current data and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions from coast to coast, which indicate it is past time to eliminate COVID-era transportation policies,” it added.
The CEOs argued that enforcing the mandate has fallen on airline employees, which has subjected them to “daily challenges by frustrated customers” and is taking a “toll on their own well-being.”