Update, 4/18 at 10:30pm ET: Avelo, Breeze, JSX, Hawaiian, and Sun Country have now dropped their mask requirements.
Update, 4/18 at 9:20pm ET: Spirit writes to DansDeals that,
“Due to the recent updates to the mask mandate for transportation, we are no longer requiring our Guests or crew members to wear facial coverings onboard our aircraft. Guests who wish to continue to wear their facial covering are welcome to do so. Please keep in mind that certain airports may continue to require facial coverings throughout the terminal.”
Update, 4/18 at 8:30pm ET: JetBlue and Allegiant have now dropped their mask requirements.
Update, 4/18 at 8pm ET: American, Southwest, Frontier, and Amtrak have now all dropped their mask requirements.
Update, 4/18 at 7:40pm ET: Delta writes to DansDeals that,
“Following the ruling of a U.S. district court judge on Monday, April 18, the Biden Administration announced that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will no longer enforce the federal mandate requiring masks in all U.S. airports and onboard aircraft. Effective immediately, masks are optional for all airport employees, crew members and customers inside U.S. airports and onboard aircraft.
You can find a copy of the guidance Delta shared with its employees on Monday at the link here.”
Update, 4/18 at 7:30pm ET: United has now made this official on their Twitter page:
Masks are no longer required on domestic flights, select international flights (dependent upon the arrival country's requirements) or at U.S. airports. More comfortable keeping yours on? Go right ahead… the choice is yours (you look dino-mite either way)! pic.twitter.com/hwq678v55d
— United Airlines (@united) April 18, 2022
Update, 4/18 at 6:50pm ET: United writes to DansDeals that,
“Effective immediately, masks are no longer required at United on domestic flights, select international flights (dependent upon the arrival country’s mask requirements) or at U.S. airports.
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.
We will continue to closely monitor the situation in the event of changes.”
Alaska also says that face masks all now optional on their flights:
BREAKING: Face masks are officially optional in airports and onboard all Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights, effective immediately. Full statement: https://t.co/zVonJVowr7
— Alaska Airlines News (@AlaskaAirNews) April 18, 2022
Update, 4/18 at 4pm ET: The Biden administration says that the TSA will not enforce the mask mandate in airports and on public transportation at this time. Airlines are now free to set their own policies.
Update, 4/18 at 2pm ET: A federal judge has ruled that the mask mandate is unlawful and has vacated the mask mandate effective immediately. It’s unclear if the CDC or the Biden administration will appeal and/or revise the mandate, or what airlines will do at this point.
Update, 4/13: The CDC announced that they will be extending the end of the transportation mask mandate from April 18th to May 3rd.
The CDC says that the additional 2 weeks will allow them more time to study the impact of the BA.2 omicron subvariant.
This comes after cities like Philadelphia are adding back their indoor mask mandates, though the CDC is not recommending that cities to that.
This also comes shortly after the CDC said it will drop the Title 42 order on May 23rd, which had allowed to US to expel migrants due to COVID-19. At the time the CDC said that, “After considering current public health conditions and an increased availability of tools to fight COVID-19 (such as highly effective vaccines and therapeutics), the CDC Director has determined that an Order suspending the right to introduce migrants into the United States is no longer necessary.”
Update, 3/23: Every major US airline has requested that the US transportation mask mandate and COVID testing requirements be dropped immediately in light of plummeting COVID cases and deaths in the US.
Southwest’s flight attendant union is also asking for the mandate’s removal and a group of pilots are suing the government over the mandate.
Across the pond, KLM says that as of today, they will no longer enforce their government’s mask mandate, as they say it is “irresponsible that mask mandates apply on airplanes and nowhere else.”
Meanwhile, kids with autism are still having problems being able to fly in the US without masking.
Will the White House give in to the growing pressure to remove the transportation mask mandate?
Update, 3/15: The Senate has voted 57-40 to remove the transportation mask mandate. 8 Democrats voted in favor of removing the mask mandate, while 1 Republican voted against removing the mandate. It now heads to the House of Representatives, where even if it is allowed to come to a vote and passes, can still be vetoed by President Biden.
This comes one day after the UK announced that they will drop all COVID travel restrictions, testing, and transportation mask mandates.
Separately, 17 Republican congressmen are suing to have the mandate removed, based on the CDC exceeding its authority.
Do you think any of these efforts to remove the mandate will succeed?
D’s voting Yea:
Bennet (CO)
Cortez Masto (NV)
Hassan (NH)
Kelly (AZ)
Manchin (WV)
Rosen (NV)
Sinema (AZ)
Tester (MT)R’s voting Nay:
Romney (UT) https://t.co/o457pZFWXr— Senate Periodicals (@SenatePPG) March 15, 2022
Originally posted on 3/10:
On the day after he was inaugurated, President Biden signed an executive order requiring masks for everyone on all modes of public transportation and the CDC soon followed with updated rules that required everyone 2 or older to wear a mask. Before that, airlines like Delta offered exceptions for older children.
That mandate was supposed to expire on 9/13/21, but it was previously extended to 1/18/22 and then 3/18/22.
And now the TSA is announcing that it will be extended to at least 4/18/22.
That’s despite the CDC dropping its guidance last month to wear masks indoors in nearly the entire country.
The White House says that the CDC will work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when the mask rules can be lifted.
At one point we were told that flying was safer than any indoor activity due to the HEPA filters used on planes. And yet now, it will be the last bastion of government mandated masking.
The FAA has received reports from airlines about thousands of passengers refusing to wear a mask this year. Many of those were removed from their flight and/or banned from flying the airline.
Here is what you should do to avoid that same fate on your next flight.
While on some of our flights the flight attendants haven’t been very vigilant about mask enforcement, on our last flight the flight attendant hounded our young children, even while they were eating, for not masking up in between each cheerio they ate. It does not make for a pleasant flying experience.
While the rest of the world’s transportation mask requirements exclude children under the age of 6 or 12, the US has by far the harshest rule, requiring toddlers from the age of 2 to mask up. I’ve written several time about how absurd it is to expect a toddler to keep a mask on and who you can contact about changing that.
Some families are opting to fly internationally via Canada to avoid US masking policies on toddlers.
But hey, all the airlines want you to do is glue it on your toddler. 🙄
The CDC mask order actually has no expiration date. A former Biden senior advisor for COVID response has said that we should never get rid of the mask mandate. Will that view win out? Will we see it removed before the November 2022 midterm elections in time to declare victory over COVID? Will the courts eventually strike down the transportation mask mandate?
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261 Comments On "All US Airlines Have Dropped Mask Requirements!"
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As someone who just got Covid. It isn’t over
Nor is the flu
It may never be over, but after Omicron infecting nearly everyone, it sure appears to have entered the endemic phase, which is why other restrictions are being dropped.
they cant stop masking,it shows a return back to normal. this is there new normal which includes masking.
maybe if all you are worried about is level of fatalities, but developmental effects are a real concern for many including children and pregnant women. Zika endpoints weren’t just fatalities. Are small heads ok too?
Don’t leave your house.
COVID isn’t over, but the need to strap blue fabric onto your three year’s old face for 6 hours is over.
Look at the death rates. Look at the science. Heck, even the CDC says indoors you don’t need a mask.
Yeah….on February 3 2022, the seven day average COVID related death rate was 3168 deaths pre day. By March 21, that number has plummeted to 850 COVID related deaths per day. This is just in the United States, of course. (worldwide, its about 5000 per day)
“Not enough to be concerned about.” As they say, one death is a tragedy, these are just statistics.
And look you’re still alive because like anyone normal your either vaccinated or young healthy at low risk with prior infections.
Covid isn’t over. The mask mandate is
I just flew united and my 4 year old didn’t wear a mask at all and no one commented.
It’s YMMV.
We flew United to FLL and they didn’t say a word.
We flew United back from FLL and they were insanely vigilant, even with our toddlers.
See, this is what I don’t understand. Regardless of whether you like the rule or not, it is THE RULE. Why would you not follow it? This is what gives folks a bad name
Why would I not follow it? Umm because its uncomfortable?! Oh and also it doesnt do anything.
Doesn’t matter. It is the rule, the law. I’m a good driver — I think I should be allowed to drive 90 miles an hour. Is that my excuse? 55 MPH is only for idiots who don’t know how to drive and I’m not an idiot?
Because it is not always possible to enforce on young toddlers, nor is it reasonable to expect someone to. This is why there is so much pushback on reform for this law – unlike speed limits.
You don’t see more than half the country protesting the 55MPH zone for a reason.
I see plenty of young toddlers who wear a mask without issue. This is a parenting issue. Just like not ALL toddlers have to run around the supermarket when their parents are shopping
The protest is for kids in SCHOOL, which I fully agree with.
Spoken like someone who’s obviously not a parent!
Some times toddlers will do what you want, and other times they will totally ignore their parents. It depends on their mood, amount of sleep they have had, if they have the ‘right mask’ at that time etc etc.
I agree, it is a parenting issue. The only way to ensure toddlers never misbehave is to enforce a parenting style that emphasizes immediate compliance at all costs, which probably includes potching and intimidation. Thankfully most 21st century parents are more enlightened.
How many kids do you have, how many siblings? Is ADHD a parenting issue too?
Anyone who has any exposure to kids would give this dumbest comment on the internet award.
Congratulations
They have shock collars on Amazon that will fit most 25mo year old kids. If the 2 year.olds won’t wear their cloth masks, zap them. You can start off with the vibrate or beep feature and work your way to shocks until they comply. Parents need to enforce this on all kids for the savings lives! If it saves even one grandparent life!!1
They make a law requiring you to smother small children…you follow it blindly and ask who the idiot is?
Funny, I wear a mask (N95) for about 9 hours every day, and it’s never smothered me. Does it work differently for children?
Get a grip. It’s just a mask. What’s with all the whiny snowflakes around here?
If it doesn’t bother you it’s not allowed to bother anyone else?
So is following traffic laws and not running down pedestrians with your car even if it inconveniences you. I cant believe how selfish people are.
Masks dont do anything?? Seems like surgeons are just one stupid bunch then eh!
Report your neighbors to the authorities. That always works well.
do you ever go a mile over the speed limit while driving? rules are rules, go 26 in a 25 zone your breaking the rules.
Do you block driveways or intersections when waiting at a red light?
Do you come to a full stop before the stop sign/line?
Do you disagree with the far left?
Whoever said that anything called THE RULE is so great?
The CDC mask order actually has no expiration date.
What do you mean with that? You just wrote that they dropped it already
CDC dropped indoor mask guidelines, but not the transportation mask mandate.
The TSA’s mandate now expires 4/18.
It all comes down from the White House, but they need the agencies to make and enforce the rules.
The CDC issued guidance around dropping the mask mandate depending on the rate of transmission and hospitalization in your county. There are still counties in the US with the highest level. I imagine they are waiting to change the rules on aircraft until all counties go down to at least the medium level, since there might be people on the aircraft from a high county, and they can’t enforce different masking rules for different people on the plane.
Follow the CDC guidelines! Unless they do something we don’t like. Then ignore them.
Nobody’s ignoring them. Logically and scientifically, it doesn’t make sense for them to drop guidelines for indoor places yet retain it for transportation.
Politically? Different story.
I think you missed the point of my post. I was making fun of them and agreeing with you. All the CDC guidance has been a joke from the beginning and not based on science unless you count political science.
You realize many of us use public transportation as our primary way to travel (hello NYC) and crowded subways and buses don’t have broadway filters and are more crowded than a Spirit Airline flight. Also, we were on a United flight recently…lots of masks under adults noses/chins and plenty of toddlers wearing them correctly all through the flight.
So split off subways from planes.
Why are airports magical places where we need masks, when malls, arenas, theaters, and schools aren’t?
I think airports (and airplanes) and other modes of travel – particularly when you have large numbers of people interacting from multiple different geographic areas – is what sets then apart from arenas, school’s etc. Even if things are headed in the right direction here in the US, it’s hard to account for international travelers and other countries’ infection rates. For that reason, I do think airports and planes are “magical” in their ability to quickly spread the virus from various countries and with new mutations.
and masks continue to stop the spread it did a wonderful job so far! the only thing that seems to have slowed/stopped this thing down is getting a natural immunity. Maybe take off your mask so you can see what really works
think it also stopped oxygen flowing to the brain…
Then it sounds like air travel is so dangerous that it should be banned. Ample evidence suggests the masks worn over the past two years are ineffective so it isn’t masks that keep people “safe.” And it surely isn’t the gene therapy injections.
On the contrary, numerous studies have shown that masks – especially N95’s and the like, but also surgical masks (and even cloth masks are a good deal better than nothing) are quite effective at slowing the spread of COVID.
Broadway shows do require masks. All the major museums in NYC do too. What do these places have in common with airports? Large groups of people from all over the world gathering together indoors.
NYC is special. The rest of country and most of the world no longer has mask mandates in those places.
That is because NYC is the center of the universe
Smithsonian museums require masks too. Basically any indoor, crowded space that attracts people from all over. Such kvetchers…is it that hard to wear a mask? I’d be more comfortable flying without pants, but the rule is you
Must wear clothes…so I do.
My biggest beef with the rule is applying it to toddlers.
Yet look at all these whiners complaining as adults just acting like toddlers 😉
They’ll whine no matter what. Once they stop whining about masks, they’ll whine about other things.
Dan is right. Toddlers wearing masks is a joke that deserves to be printed on yellow Laffy Taffy’s globally.
I agree but once you say that toddlers dont need masks then why should adults? its like saying when in a restaurant you dont need a mask while sitting but once you stand up you do. doesn’t make sense. If they claim covid isn’t over then anyone can get it, toddler or adult, vaxed or unvaxed. Personally I just think masks should be optional
But it does make perfect sense to those who’ve lost critical thinking and just follow along. Had a relative upset with me because I didn’t wear a mask into a restaurant during mask mandate, but she thought it was perfectly fine to take it off to eat!!
dan i dont understand why you cant just say at this point especially its all politics! even the left is making fun of it, SNL, leenna wen on cnn said cloth masks are face decorations, shes a joke bec shes calling for an end now for face masks just so that when they need to put back on again people will listen. the whole thing is so stupid all ready! if someone is that scared then maybe put on A tight fitted n95 and change it every time it gets moist or if you fiddle with it too much.
ahh now your using the bill gates argument! excellent!
not special. NYC is crazy.
“special”
lol there are no more woke , virtue signaling people then Broadway! they take pride in mask wearing, so of course they still have it. except on stage, covid knows not to go near the stage.
Why would subways be split off from planes? People are on planes for much longer than on subways, and they’re typically sitting next to the same people for the entire trip. That seems a lot riskier to me than a half-hour or an hour on the subway with people constantly moving around and getting off and on.
I’d prefer for mask mandates to be reinstated in malls, arenas, and theaters, but, at the end of the day, most of us don’t need to go to any of those places – arenas and theaters are entertainment venues and everything that’s sold in a mall is probably also sold online. (One big exception is the people who work at those places.) For the most part, anyone who wants to avoid the risk of being around unmasked people in arenas can simply avoid going to arenas.
Not so for modes of transportation, which people use in order to accomplish other tasks, such as going to work, visiting the doctor, and assisting elderly family members.
(And masks should of course stay on in schools. Even if you’re not concerned about children getting sick and you want to ignore the possible long-term damage that COVID causes, children can still easily spread it to elderly or immunocompromised family members, teachers, etc.)
Level 1 troll!! great job!
Jojo you realize you are free to wear a mask as you wish ? the point of it being an effective weapon against covid has long passed
Quality masks, worn properly do work! All those worn as chin diapers do not.
jojo the problem is, if a person has stubble or a beard then a mask really cannot be worn properly. there is no tight seal. so no matter what if one has stubble or a beard then things can get in
then wear it, no one is stopping you. but you cant ask others around you to do something uncomfortable and weird just to make you feel better. you can wear one to protect yourself. on cnn they told us recdently its very important to understand that one way masking works!
The law requires chin diapers, not masks. The law doesn’t require a fitted high-quality N95 mask.
A surgical mask worn over the mouth and nose is still quite effective at blocking the spread of COVID. Not as effective as an N95, of course, but I’m not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Even a basic cloth mask is hugely better than nothing.
Do you routinely take public transportation? Who likes smelling the breakfast breath from your fellow subway/bus rides breathing 1 inch from you?
Like I said you are free to wear one. The above statement of your only proves my point.
Remember that they’re also smelling your breakfast breath.
Not if I’m wearing a mask.
I’ll make sure to tell the oncologists at Sloan Kettering that DansDealers say masks don’t work so they should stop requiring them too!
I said an effective tool against Covid, in an environment where every tiny foreign organism is a danger like in a hospital they should continue wearing them
Jojo, you ever heard of diff size pathogens? Bec it works for one thing doesnt mean it works for everything. Its like putting a wired gate around your house to protect from mice bec your neighbor put it up for dogs.
Please show me a scientific, peer reviewed study that shows masks don’t work. Schools that wore masks had 72% less within school COVID spread during delta and omicron waves.
https://www.the74million.org/do-masks-in-school-work-as-mandates-fall-pair-of-new-studies-may-finally-put-debate-to-rest/
Kids in schools that were open during the Fall 2020- Spring 2021 school year had to wear masks. Yet there were far more cases of covid positivity and quarantines than in the Fall 2021-Spring 2022 school year when the kids were not required to wear masks.
In FMS, the modern orthodox school in CLE, they have been wearing masks from 2020 until just last week.
They had very little outbreak in 2020-2021 and just about the entire school got in in 2021-2022 with omicron.
As a FMS parent, I will ecplain what occured. The reason there was a huge outbreak at FMS was due to the high school retreat. Almost 100% of the kids at the retreat tested positive. They were unmasked and had outside speakers who were also unmasked. Additionally, there were a number of students who had siblings who had tested positive yet they were still allowed to attend. Since this was omicron, we had only started to see just how infectious it is and how having a fully vaccinated sibling of a positive kid should not have been allowed out. Whereas the prevailing science now has shown that fully vaccinated and asymptomatic siblings can still spread omicron. These kids then brought it home and infected their families. That was the cause of the outbreak. Had masking been required and other safety precautions followed, we do not what the outcome would have been, but it probably would have been different. As a scientist, I would bet it would have been a different outcome.
May I ask the great and brilliant scientists who is among those who can enlighten not as brilliant peasants as myself a question?
What percentage of healthy kids got anything more than a cold.
Even the CDC has reported that they’re ineffective. You’re using the Texas Sharpshooter logical fallacy to convince others to repeat your opinions as if they’re fact.
That’s not how science works. You don’t prove ‘something doesn’t work’.
Every toddler is different. One may be fine with a mask, and another my throw a fit. Their little brains don’t operate logically.
My 4 year old probably will keep a mask on, but we’re avoiding flying as I can’t 100% say she will do (it depends on many factors like how tired she is etc), and I don’t want to risk having a problem.
There shouldn’t be any mask mandates anywhere. If you want to wear one than you can wear one.
no one is stopping you from wearing an n95 or kn95. just remember to swap it out every few hours and dont fiddle with it.
Why swap it out every few hours? https://twitter.com/masknerd/status/1473748051412008960
Not sure what sort of fiddling you had in mind, but what’s wrong with fiddling if that’s your thing? We’ve known since, what, April 2020? that fomite transmission isn’t how COVID spreads.
Since I work in an indoor space with other people, and I commute by subway, I put on my mask before I leave home and it stays on until I get back home, except when I’m eating and drinking, or sometimes if I’m going outside for a while at lunchtime. I don’t fiddle. I put on the mask and go about my day. Aside from eating, a mask is about as intrusive as a shirt.
And I haven’t had COVID yet (not just a guess – I test 1-3 times each week, as recently as this morning), even though there have been multiple positive cases in the past week among coworkers who sit nearby.
Does ELAl require masks?
US law applies to all airlines to and from the US.
Whether a flight attendant enforces the law is another question.
Only those flight attendants who failed traffic cop school enforce the masks.
Don’t underestimate the feeling of power these flight attendants have when deciding how many ice cubes to put in your soda.
once the plane is in international air how can the airlines enforce it? I remember being 18 and flying from ORD to LHR and once we were in international air I was able to get booze
I wish republicans will take over already
And throw out fauci and his masks from the window
So much whining
Can someone start a petition or something
This is insane
Follow the science……as it keeps changing. So now, ONLY in airports and on airplanes can one catch Covid and die. Not in supermarkets, Synagogues, libraries, superbowl, office, Uber, conference room, mikva, bank, laundromat, etc etc… ONLY on airplanes! Does anyone still believe the little dictator Fauci or Walensky???! Is that really science?! How dumb and stupid can the average American be?!
Average Americans are not dumb or stupid. They are just trying to deal with the policies as put forth by those in charge, of which they have little to no control over. THOSE policies do not make sense, are not “scientific” now 2 years in, but that’s another story. I will be the first to toss my mask when it becomes legal, but there is something to an airplane that is different to all the other places, as someone above said. More random people, longer time together, can’t leave, etc. Although… didnt they once say airplanes are SAFER than other places? lol. But still, everyone just trying to get by.
Hey, you forgot Congress! Can’t catch Corona there either.
Chose the July-October 2022 option. It’s when the serious mid-term polls will come out and the Dems will realize what kind of beating they’re in for. That’s when they’ll change it. A dollar too little, a day too late.
You’re linking this article from NBC News? Does that mean you support this?
Can you please explain the thought process of how you think that Dan linking to a source breaking the story of the mask extension is Dan supporting the extension?
The reason airplanes may still warrant masking even with good filtration is just the sheer amount of time you spend in them and the tight quarters. It’s true that travel is technically optional, you don’t have to fly, but the truth is people need to see family, get to work events, go for medical treatment etc. In a supermarket you can get in and out quickly if you want or you can get curbside pickup or delivery. If you need to fly, there is no substitute. You are packed in tightly for 3-12 hours or more.
The masking of small children is not realistic. That needs to be changed immediately, IMHO. And I’m really looking forward to not needing a mask on planes some day though I may wear one anyway since I always came down with a bad cold . But there is still a lot of Covid all over the world spread by travelers. I think it’s not asking too much to help out others this way. There are so many more difficult things we have gone through.
Completely reasonable response. I’d agree with you wholeheartedly if it was demonstrably true that wearing masks had any appreciable benefit. Fact is, they don’t. Maybe if everyone wore N95’s (correctly fitted of course), but that would be unbearable.
Also people don’t NEED to see family or get to work events. They want to. And if it was that important and that dangerous to fly, driving is always an option domestically.
Also a difference on the plane where you have a seat that you likely cannot change. At the Supermarket if someone appears to be sick or makes you uncomfortable – you can move away. On a plane you cannot do that.
Unfortunately, plenty of people do not behave responsibly and will travel while they are sick (even without COVID). This keeps the peace for a little bit longer
Covid is airborne and that is how it is spread. Wearing a mask will not prevent you from catching it.
Will wearing a mask guarantee that you don’t catch it? No, of course not.
Will it reduce the likelihood that you catch it? Yes. And, if it’s an N95, by quite a bit.
And it will reduce the likelihood even more that someone who happens to be infected with COVID spreads it to others.
Every decision is motivated only by politics – you can expect the mandate will be lifted some time before November when Uncle Joe will then declare voctory over covid.
Yimach Shmom!
Horrible people who hate children! Or for that matter they hate the mother’s and father’s of the American children!
I haven’t gotten on a plane with my family since these mandates (madness) started! I know that if I will, my family will be the next viral video!
This is really insane and needs to stop!!!
The science™ has changed again, so we need to wear masks untill at least the midterms
Covid is over. And most of the restrictions didn’t do a thing. Other than mess people up. Don’t get me started on the rest.
+10000000000000
More importantly, when is the CDC going to stop requiring Americans to test to come back home!?!?!
end of April / early May
You all got me thinking…the metal
Detectors we walk through and x ray machines we put our luggage through also don’t stop terrorist attacks. They are really inconvenient and slow us down. Let’s complain about those rules too!!
Arguably, silly rules like 3 oz of liquids make us less safe as TSA has gotten really good at spotting bottled water, but worse at finding actual weapons and bombs in spot checks.
Security theatre and Covid theatre certainly have some overlap, where we fail to distinguish between useful measures and silly measures.
So kvetch about security too! Any rule we don’t like…let’s complain about it!
yes. nonsense is nonsense and should be called out. The stupidity has taken what little simple niceties we had left in everyday society and travel. started with the “security” TSA moronic measures and culminating in the covid crap. TSA is to actual security and safety as CDC is to actual health and safety. they just ain’t.
Agree. The fact that they still make us take our shoes off by the TSA checkpoint is absurd. The US has technology that can spot a golf ball from space but yet the exray machine we walk thru CAN’T spot something in our shoes from a few inches away???! I agree. This is all theater. Despite what President Bush told us, the terrorists DID win. We are forced to endure total dehumanization every time we pass thru the TSA! WE, the American taxpayers, are the real losers in all of this.
The TSA’s job is people control. They want to be able to have everyone understand that if they say “Jump” we say “How high?”. This is why we have regulations on the size of liquids we can *carry on* but not the liquids on our *checked in* luggage, going on the same plane. If they actually feared liquid explosives, they would not let on either. The difference is, we are actually standing there with our carry ons and can be controlled. The excuse of the foiled plot to blow up planes with liquid explosives, back in the mid-aughts, is just an excuse. They have sensors to look for explosives of all types, they don’t really need us to go through all that. Lucky for us the terrorists only plotted to use large amounts of liquid explosives in their carry ons, otherwise who knows what they would ban and make us go through. Same with the shoes. One guy trues to blow up a plane with a shoe bomb and we have to take shoes off 15 years later? Lucky for us he did not have a shirt bomb or a pants bomb. It’s like the TSA is not doing the logical thing and just making sure no one brings explosives on board, but is rather getting ideas from what people try. (I guess the TSA could not go so far as to have us take off our underwear because of the underwear bomber attempt, if you remember it. Maybe one day.)
well said!
unless you pay extra money for tsa pre check.
Right, those people are totally safe! Lol
amen!
The logic of “since this is a law that we are disputing, we should dispute all laws” is childish.
It’s like saying “if you protest that the person who got caught with a small amount of drugs shouldn’t get a life prison sentence without parole, why not just let out all the murderers from jail? They’re both convicts.”
They’re both convicts, but their sentencing matters and we have the right to protest wrongful sentencing laws. Same here – they’re both laws, but we have the right to protest the meaning behind them.
Protest away, but you sound like a spoiled toddler.
uh no we dont! this is for one not a law! its an EO! that was promised thatll only last 100 days! congress passes laws.
You are correct for once in this thread. TSA security is useless and theater as well. You are not proving your point you are proving everyone else’s point. TSA is there to make people feel better it does very little to keep us safe. Out of 70 tests homeland security did 67 got through TSA with a weapon. So yes I can and do complain about security it’s a joke just like Covid theater.
Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/investigation-breaches-us-airports-allowed-weapons-through-n367851
Hard to believe, but some folks think that when they drop the mask requirement that COVID has gone away. We have our N-95s ready for our IAD-BOG business class seats flight next week courtesy of Lifemiles.
GREAT! no issue with that! but don’t expect anyone else who doesnt feel the same way to do the same.
Good for you and please don’t take it off to eat or drink!
My favorite social media is the Dan’s Deal’s comment section.
+1
2025 is the correct answer, when we’ll have a new President!
I curious to see if the US will drop its COVID testing requirement for International return travel.
I have a question: If the airlines/government REALLY thought regular surgical masks helped stop the spread, what happens on a plane when they hand out meals AT THE SAME EXACT TIME TO EVERYBODY and simultaneously EVERYBODY takes off their masks to eat…what no you have to put it on between bites…yeah so while I’m actually placing food in my mouth are my germs blocked by the microwaved potatoe that’s going in my mouth? How bout serve all window seats at the same time then middle etc. if it actually helps!
And then they complain about Putin being a dictator……..
Can ANYONE please explain why the Joint Session of Congress (for the SOTU) did not have to mask up, but we all still have to on planes?
(Maybe it was a sinister plot to kill out all those Members of Congress, SCOTUS, and Kamala Haris all in one swoop?)
I am grateful for it to continue so that my children feel safe bringing their 3-month old baby and 2-year old toddler to visit us on an airplane sitting cheek by jowl with total strangers. Otherwise, they will not be comfortable visiting us and I totally agree with them. There are still over 1,000 people dying from COVID in the US every single day. I’m sick of people unwilling to wear masks – find a comfortable one and suck it up if not for yourself then for your fellow human being. I just did it for 6 hours and it was fine.
thats great for you! and your kids can do the same and your grandchildren will be just fine with out one as well.
So you are admitting you want the entire country to comply with something so you and your kids “feel” safe? That isn’t how it works. I don’t need to wear a diaper in case you poop your pants.
Actually, the way society works is that we do in fact accept restrictions on ourselves in order to protect other people.
You don’t get to decide that you’ll drive through red lights because you’re not afraid of getting killed, since by running red lights you also endanger other people. If you want to commit suicide, don’t do it at an innocent bystander’s expense.
The whole thing is insane, masks do nothing, this is just a political play.
This – no need to say anything else…
At one point we were told that flying was safer than any indoor activity due to the HEPA filters used on planes. And yet now, it will be the last bastion of government mandated masking.
they cant have things go back to normal bec then well start having to pay attention to whats really going on. the dems dont want you focused on how badly there screwing things up! thats why the news is ubsessed with the war now and biden is blaming all on putin.
Right… most of these policies were enacted under Trump. I’m not a dem but republicans are as bad.
Other countries are also dropping PCR test and vax for entry now. Wonder when we will be able to return to US as US citizens without a PCR test or vax??
You speak like the rest of the world is allowing passengers to fly masksless. While the rules may be more lenient for kids elsewhere the fact is that 99 percent of the world still requires masks for flying. This is NOT unique to usa . What is absurd is the covid tests to arrive in usa considering no such domestic requirement and majority of countries dropping that. But hey the usa was literally the last country to require a test to fly in so why not be the last to drop it.
Mark, let’s stick with the facts. The UK, Scandinavia, Norway, Denmark (among many other countries) no longer require masks for flying. When you choose an arbitrary number like “99 percent”, please source it with facts.
Even those country’s require for intl flights just as an example . 99 percent may be arbitrary but 90 percent plus isn’t. You make a silly counter argument to a valid point by picking on a number. The fact you can list the countries that DONT require actually supports my point.
Like Dan says, the airline crew enforcement varies from flight to flight. Our trip to Israel in January, it was enforced, on our trip home, it was not (for the record, I wore mine both ways, but can’t wait until the mandate is lifted). My son returned from Israel on Monday, same airline as us – there were a few passengers that complained when masks weren’t being worn, so the crew began enforcing.
Flew El Al recently to and from. They enforced, but within reason. Nothing harsh and very flexible.
Heard from a professional “Wearing masks as a protection for Omicron is like putting up a chain link fence in protection for mosquitos”
Noone with any medical training or a scientific background has said that wearing a mask protects you, with the exception of an N95. You wear a mask to protect others. To try to minimize the spread. I question the medical training or knowledge of this so called “professional” if they claim that mask wearing is to protect themselves.
Protecting others is the biggest con of the pandemic.
cool…..
Yes, they knew that was true. It was for fear and control!
Only took 2 years to figure this out…
Mask mandate end is coming very soon
The airlines don’t just decide that they had enough
The white house asked them for an official letter requesting to end the mandate so that they they can have what to “blame” it on.
This is how it works in politics. It’s all a show.
Removing mask mandates just means that the government is no longer requiring masks. It does not mean that there is now no risk to going around maskless.
I hope you are not one of those people wearing a cloth or surgical mask as an amulet and still preaching about the importance of masking lol
Wear an n95 if you care
Bingo. Much as we all want COVID to be over, COVID doesn’t seem to agree. https://twitter.com/gregggonsalves/status/1506598266070257667
Please feel free to continue to wear one or even two if it makes you feel better, even though cloth masks don’t work!
Name one thing in life that has no risk? If you are healthy you are far more likely to die in a car crash than from Covid.
Support KLM
If airlines are not interested in mask mandates why don’t they tell their employees to leave us alone and stop using it as a power trip?
Right, just don’t enforce it.
For all those saying a 2 year old needs to wear a mask and it depends on your parenting if they listen, what’s with the 1 year olds or the 1 and 11 months? They can’t spread Covid? Who decided that 2 is the magic age where Covid knows ok I can infect this kid cuz he had his 2nd birthday yesterday and nope not this one cuz his 2nd birthday is only tomorrow?
Just flew Turkish back to US
98% of plane wasn’t wearing masks. No one said a word.
I flew united tlv-ewr yesterday and they didn’t say a word about masks. Lots of people had it on they’re chin the whole flight! Was great to be able to fly semi-normally again:)
I will be flying KLM from TLV to AMS on Sunday April 27. We shall see if masks are enforced!
As of now it is due to expire April 18 if they don’t extend it…
Any update?
April 27 is not on sunday
I just flew el al from Israel and they made an announcement around every 5 minutes to put masks on mouth and nose! (Obviously most the flight kept taking it off but they tried their best to get everyone to wear it)! But b”h they didn’t make my 2 year old wear one.
White House will wait till they need a win.
Remember the Dem Motto – any problem in your life is “Putin’s fault”
Dan, Has any airline entertained making a mask mandatory section or flight? So people can choose how they want to fly?
Many shuls did that with mask minyanim or sections.
+1
Great Idea!
Very interesting- less than a month ago the media tried portraying how most flight attendants want the mask mandate to remain and they found a union was suing etc. so now we are hearing from the real flight attendants who apparently despise these rules – the media somehow decided to flip sides. Its pretty clear The entire Government is run by the media – all you need is a few people to believe one way and the media will push it (and will undoubtedly influence many) until there’s too much push back. The media did it with discrediting antibodies – requiring everyone to mask, vaccinate. the people that listened to some of this nonsense – (getting vaccinated when you clearly had antibodies, wearing masks religiously as if it was going to end the virus etc.) but are now pushing back I’m sorry to tell you but you are a big part of this problem you emboldened these people! Eventually the truth emerges thank goodness! just look at the dansdeals forum its a handful of people that believe in all this nonsense but they unfortunately make the most noise -some of them started coming around somewhat…
The point is you can’t go along with all this nonsense and then say hey wait a minute this is too much
This is not so difficult. Just don’t wear/enforce masks. When all the sane people are breathing freely again, a handful of psychotic mask karens will be powerless. I don’t even understand the fuss. Just stop wearing.
+10000! Did the schools in Lakewood beg murphy to remove the mask mandate? There is no enforcement by the govt! Look at the NBA they fined the nets for allowing kyrie to break the rules – Not a word from NYC about a fine! We became our own police! Some of us realized it 2 years ago…
I don’t like the “normal” some people mention here. I’ve never liked people breathing down my neck when I wait in lines, feeling somebody’s smelly breath when they talk at a close distance, shoulder by shoulder, etc… I always try to keep my distance, even before the pandemy. This comment isn’t about wearing a mask or not.
If masks are not needed on planes or other transport, and the filtration on planes really works, then test for airborne virus on planes and monitor for effectiveness of phony air filtration on planes.
If filtration really works on planes why not test it and prove it? Then if no virus present go ahead and drop mask requirements.
But no one is testing on planes. No airline, no gov agency. Prove it first, then go ahead and remove masks. Otherwise this is a publice health disaster in the making and could ruin the airline industry. Covid is not over yet unfortunately.
@Walter – a surgical mask will help with big droplets… the small little droplets are coming right through your silly mask. It’s completely irrelevant if the air filteration on the plane works to requiring everyone to wear a surgical mask. If there is a place to require masks it would probably be in cramped places like planes (and you chavrusah) this is all going that there is a point in trying to slow down an inevitable virus when real herd immunity is probably the way to go..
I am currently sitting on a KLM flight from TLV to AMS and not only are they enforcing masks, they made me take off my (far more comfortable) bandana and put on a blue surgical mask! No one else throughout the airport had any problem with it.
When I asked them about the new KLM policy to not enforce masks, they said it was because of Israeli law and they had no choice.
What a shame… I was really looking forward to not wearing a mask for once.
I just wore a mask on a 14 hour flight. It wasn’t a big deal. Get over it!
You are a sheep. BAAAAAAHHHHH!
Stop getting run over snowflake -does everyone do this to you?
Classic narrow minded Democrat response…
Since it doesn’t bother me, it de-facto does not bother anyone else….
I agree I fly almost every week and wearing a mask doesnt bother me the mandate to wear something that factually doesnt help does bother me.
Stop with the feelings and opinions the fact is a cloth mask doesnt do anything.
Whats happening with the Senate bill?
House didn’t take it up.
Good. Proper masking protects against all future variants, they won’t give you adverse effects, and they effectively stop transmissions unlike the current vaccines.
Are cloth masks proper masking or COVID theatre?
How about masking 24 month old toddlers?
Or everyone having the same mealtime on a plane?
Is a plane different that a crowded arena?
But when everyone takes off there mask to eat, then covid doesn’t spread.
Omicron has been shown not to be stopped by masks.
Almost everyone is over it. Flew from BWI to CUN a few days ago. A majority of the passengers did not wear masks a majority of the flight. I did not hear or see a single other passenger of flight attendant say a single thing to any of the non-mask wearing passengers. In fact, a couple of the flight attendants had their masks as chin diapers the entire flight and no one said anything. It’s time to ignore the stupid nonsense rules. And if you are still afraid, just stay home.
Putin mask mandate don’t you know?
Great news that in this country we listen to the science
Can you source that? The CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, among most state and local medical boards proclaimed its safe for a vaccinated individual to be unmasked indoors. So, which science are you referring to?
Wow. So the science has changed yet again. Now, ONLY in airports and on airplanes can one catch Covid and die, but not anywhere else. Amazing. Simply amazing.
Who’s the idiot?
Wait but NOT when everyone is eating! Then covid DOESN’T spread. So it’s ok to take off masks. Cuz Science you know.
“SCIENCE”!!!!!!!
The CDC is reshaim.
Have you caught on that CDC is a politically motivated joke yet?
Absolute power corrupts absolutely is a tale as old as time.
That doesn’t mean the CDC doesn’t do good work, it just means they have been given too much power with no checks and balances.
But this too shall pass.
Sure, they do some good work. What they’ve caused with their corruption, however, is everything they do needs to be scrutinized. They’ve tarnished their reputation. All the more reason to do your own research from various reliable sources.
Also, very important to consider: does the CDC do comprehensive research? Absolutely not. They only research what they are funded to do. Who decides what funding they get? You tell me.
cdc follows the narrative, plane and simple. mandates from day 1 had all to do with politics. and btw they called it “guidance” and had the private business and local gov do there dirty work and used the fake news to spur fear into people so they can help keep the masses inline.
Why can airlinesjust not enforced this STUPIDTY
Why did I even waste the time Googling to find out who appointed this judge? The answer was going to be obvious.
What do you mean?
The entire country of effected by – and possibly decisions in many countries throughout the planet as well – a young 35 y/o Trump-appointed federal judge. #MAGA!
Airlines will be more than glad not to have to enforce the mask mandate should this ruling remain in place. They’ve already asked for it to be dropped almost a month ago.
Time to cancel some flights.
Remember all you red hat-wearing rubes: the pandemic isn’t over just because you are tired of it. Your kind is the reason it’s still going on 2 years later. GFY.
@moderator block this clown
Nothing to do once fallen in love with. Feel free to cancel all your flights and go hide in a bunker geared up as an astronaut. The rest of humanity wants to continue with life.
One less psycho I don’t have to worry about being on my flight
Come on, be nice. They did speed up the pandemic by getting infected faster.
Good to know you won’t be on my flight!
Go take your blood pressure medication.
Awesome! Cheaper flights for me and one less crazy to run into.
All valid points in this post.
I do have one question how many people going forward when they have a cold or flu when going somewhere will put on a mask?
Recently I put on a mask when I had a cold (and know that it wasn’t Covid as I took a PCR) as I have learned that it’s okay and I know how I felt and didn’t want to get others sick.
We as a religion are taught to put others first but lately, it’s “I can’t this”, “I can’t that”. So hopefully the government gets rid of masks but we should at times put them on to protect others because people do die from the flu and other viruses.
This. I not only don’t want covid when I travel, I don’t want your cold or flu.
Flying United tomorrow. Wondering if anything will be different
It will.
I have a flight tomorrow on JetBlue – will I need to wear a mask?
Have a Southwest flight in 4 hours, let’s see what happens.
Please post what happens. Have a SW flight tomorrow with a little kid
Masks are now optional on Soutwest.
Flight attendant announced it, and the whole plane broke into cheers.
Merica! Oh baby
What makes me happy more than the fact that the mandate is over is the slap in the face to the Biden admin showing that Faucci and His left wing cronies aren’t gonna be the ones to tell us that we will be masking up on planes forever…
And that the U.S. The the leader of the free world isn’t controlled by the elites in D.C. Whose mandates only apply the thee not me… And the countless times we’ve seen them breaking their own mandates this won’t be forgotten too fast so hold on tight for 22 and 24…
It’s about time.
Hopefully no turning back now.
Anyone who wants to wear a mask is still free to do so.
American https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1516206308499800078/photo/1
Southwest over now too. On SW plane now, flight attendants haven’t yet gotten word, we’ll see what they say shortly.
https://www.swamedia.com/releases/release-defa17af4847d18adaea0814f8289cf1-reactive-media-statement-federal-face-mask-mandate-lifted
Flight attendant announced masks optional, and the whole plane broke into cheers.
What about trains? Amtrak/Marc ? It’s the same Federal mandate are they just waiving it for aircraft?
!!!ברוך שפטרני מעונש הלזה
Is this said with or without שם המפורש?
Without.
Guys what does that make to tlv is TLV requiring it ? Or no mask to to tlv ?
JetBlue and spirit will still require masks on canceled flight 🙂
A pesach freedom story…
@Dan
“CDC says it won’t enforce order for masks on public transport”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-18/mask-mandate-for-planes-trains-overturned-by-florida-judge?srnd=premium
I know someone on a plane now- they just announced that masks may be removed
Yeshuas Hashem Kheref Ayin
What’s the story with partner European carriers (E.g. Lufthansa) for flights originating from the USA?
How about Turkish Airlines?
Next question is when will ride share services like Uber and Lyft end the mask requirements
Just got a email from Uber saying masks are now optional
We just flew ITA (formally Alitalia) this past Tuesday. Not only did they enforce masks – we were not allowed to check-in without having an N95 mask!! Since most of the flight wasn’t aware of this requirement previously, we all had to go to the airport shop and buy 1 for $7! Airline claims it was an Italian Federal rule.
Flew united from italy, by gate they us n95 as we didn’t have them, only had the regular ones, but on the plane itself they de giving out the simple ones to those that asked for a mask.
Now we got to get a judge to throw out the international covid testing requirements. Then it will be real freedom from covid
On a United flight right now and heard got a text from a friend about this. We told the flight agents who passed in the message to the pilot. He said he will confirm and then he made an announcement and most people took off their masks!!
That’s a great story!
What about international flights departing or arriving USA?
What’s with Elal mask requirement
However JetBlue and spirit are still requiring masks on all cancelled flights
What about El-Al?
I am on elal now and they are screaming at ppl to put masks on. We even mentioned the new news. They said in Israel we wear masks. This is ElAl.
What about JSX??
Optional.
How about travel on US airlines (I’m flying AA) to and from Canada?
Who determines mask requirements?
Going free on.Passover!
@dan new news has it that the Biden Administration will appeal this decision after May 3 if the CDC determines it’s still necessary. Any thoughts on this?
Breeze started flying from HPN