And not just for a single company, as the problem is widespread across many industries. } United, American, Southwest, Delta, Alaska and other airlines said late Monday they were dropping their face mask requirement effective immediately, given a federal judge's ruling in Florida. Well continue to monitor public health guidance, and federal requirements, while always keeping safety as our uncompromising priority. In this 2020 photo, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant prepares a plane for takeoff at the Kansas City International airport in Kansas City, Mo. "It is very safe and high-quality compared to any other indoor setting. May 2020: JetBlue Airways becomes thefirst U.S. airline to require masks for passengers, a policy quickly matched by other airlines. Reuters. According to data provided from Cirium to CBS MoneyWatch, EasyJet canceled 202 flights departing the UK between March 28 and April 3, compared to zero canceled during the same period in 2019. /* Air CheckIn Banner Button Fix */ ", The Netherlandshas scrapped the mask mandate for public transportation on March 23, except for in airports and on aircraft. British low-cost carrier Jet2 was the first airline in the UK to scrap mask requirements on planes, relaxing the rule on March 1. Cathay Pacific has told passengers who are nervous or uncomfortable around seatmates who choose not to wear a face mask on one of the airline's flights to postpone their travel plans after Hong Kong lifted its years-long mask mandate. "I think the case is very strong that masks don't add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment," Kelly said. A number of major airlines including American, United, Southwest, Delta and Alaska quickly announced that masks would now be optional for customers and employees domestically and on. width:556px !important For example, after the 2017 Equifax breach, which exposed sensitive information from 143 million Americans because the company failed to institute a routine security update to its software, it agreed to pay a penalty of at least $575 million to the Federal Trade Commission. } Southwest had an old system, and Montgomery said it broke down during even mild hiccups, forcing the employees to call in. If you need help with the Public File, call 407-291-6000. "Should the guidance change, we will adjust our policy accordingly," the airline said in a statement. Avelo Airlines: Masks are no longer required for customers or crew members. The group cites the dramatic drop in cases and an increase in verbal and physical attacks related to enforcing the mandate. Online forums are full of employee accounts of such misery. 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. Use of the Southwest websites and our Company Information constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions. "Passengers and employees still have the option to wear masks in airports and on aircraft if they so choose.". In 2020, for instance, Kellys compensation was a record $9.2 million, despite the fact that the company lost more than $3 billion that year because of the Covid pandemic and the compensation for the median employee fell by $35,000, to about $66,000. 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. according to data provider World Population Reviews. For international travel, mask requirements remain dependent on the arrival/departure country's regulations. Every night, we deep clean each plane from nose to tail for more than 6 hours. For example, if crew members from Buffalo dont arrive in Baltimore because their flight was canceled, the employees have had to manually call in to let the company know where they are and get hotels arranged for them. Your airline may have dropped its COVID-19 mask requirement after a federal judge voided the national mask mandate. Gary Kelly, the recently retired CEO of Southwest Airlines, testified to congress that masks do little to help on airplanes given how safe airplanes are in the first place. Southwest Airlines CEO says airlines not pushing for it. "We understand some guests may want to continue wearing face coverings on flights, and thats perfectly fine under our optional policy," the airline said in a statement. The Biden administration announced on Tuesday evening that it would appeal the court ruling throwing out the mask mandate. Wilfredo Lee, Associated Press font-style: normal; And why cant the crews simply notify the company of their whereabouts via an app or a website and get their hotel assignments that way? #call_to_action_qdnph80bc1i, #call_to_action_oxew9f4k2gj{color:#ffffff;} We appreciate the cooperation and compliance efforts of our Customers and Employees as policies have evolved. The Equifax C.E.O., Richard Smith, did resign. 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. ", JetBlue tweeted on Monday that masks are no longer required on board, but said "while no longer required, customers and crewmembers may continue wearing masks in our terminals and onboard our aircraft. "If you'd feel more comfortable still wearing yours go right ahead!" 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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that it would keep it in place until May 3 to allow more time to study theBA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirusthat is responsible for the majority of cases in the country. font: italic normal 11px/1 Arial; However, children under five are not eligible for the vaccine, and they can be less effective on people who are immunocompromised. As of March 16, Virgin Atlantic has changed its mask rules to be optional on flights from Heathrow and Manchester to the Caribbean. You might be wondering how Southwest can lose track of where the crews are and why anyone has to call in at all, since the company presumably should know exactly which flights got canceled and who flew where, based on passenger lists. The travel extension comes two weeks after the CDC relaxed its mask guidance for communities where hospitals aren't under high strain, and as states around the country and across the political spectrum have relaxed a number of precautionary measures, including on indoor mask usage. These are the kind of efforts that may not be widely visible but make all the difference. The Transportation Security Administration is extending the current mandate for mask use on public transportation and in transportation hubs through April 18. Don't forget to bring a mask. Clear masks . 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. the airline tweeted. Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. But if the fines are too small, companies will just see them as a cost of doing business and carry on. Do I need to wear a mask on the plane and or in the airport? Breeze said on its website that masks are now optional on its flights. .facebook-share-button-command--button { But the candidates currently in Baltimore might also be on hold for hours, trying to let the company know of their whereabouts. "With declining hospitalization rates, increased immunity, widely available vaccines and cutting-edge treatments on the horizon, America is reaching an inflection point where endemic-focused policies can replace pandemic-driven restrictions," said the letter, which was signed by Airlines for America, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Travel Association. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2021, Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel and now carries more air travelers flying nonstop within the United States than any other airline1. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider A Feb. 25 letter to Jeffrey Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, asked that the Biden administration repeal the travel mask mandate and roll back other precautionary travel measures. 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. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, a large union representing flight attendants at airlines including United, Alaska, Hawaiian, Spirit and Frontier, expects it will be extended again. January2021: President Joe Biden announces federal mask mandate for travel with an initial expiration date of May 11. ", He and other executivestestified without masks on, andKelly tested positive for the coronavirussoon after. External site which may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. 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. Mask mandates in airports and on planes will continue until April 18. A sign reads "Wear A Mask" at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. "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. by Rachel Scully - 12/16/21 7:47 AM ET. It looks like the mask mandate on airplanes won't be in place an extra two weeks after all. } Initially, it seemed as if airlines would wait to find out how The Biden Administration and CDC would respond to the court ruling, but that went out the door fast. That remarkable progress in hardware shouldnt obscure the critically important fact that software doesnt just come along by itself. Technical debt is real debt. However, masks are still required on service to Canada, the US, Germany (except Frankfurt), and Paris. .air-booking-select-compare-fares-secondary .compare-fares-secondary--flyby { If you're flying to . The union issued a letter Thursday to federal officials and the White House. "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. text-decoration: underline !important; 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. Robert Smith/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images. over 4,0000 mask-related reports were made to the Federal Aviation Administration. 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. News 6 is Getting Results. The mandate has been extended three times since it went into effect in February 2021. While a lot of people embraced the new norm, many did not take it in stride, leading to a stark uptick in unruly passenger cases, particularly in the US. fines of up to $82,000, facing criminal charges, or both. . Photo Illustration by Leslie dela Vega/The New York Times; photograph by Weerayut Ranmai/EyeEm, via Getty Images. Avelo airlines: masks are now optional on flights from Heathrow and Manchester to the Aviation! 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