United, Alaska First U.S. Airlines to Drop Mask Mandates After Judge’s Ruling

Skift Take

A Florida federal judge and Trump appointee has liberated the U.S. airlines from the tyranny of having to enforce mask mandates. United and Alaska airlines did not waste any time in seconding that ruling by dropping their own mask requirements.

Tom Lowry

United Airlines and Alaska Air became the first U.S airlines Monday night to drop their own mask mandates just hours after a federal judge in Florida ruled the U.S. government’s mask mandate requirement for airplanes, trains and other transit to be unlawful.

“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,” the airline said in a statement Monday. “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.”

United CEO Scott Kirby was among the airline CEOs testifying before Congress back in December that mask mandates were no longer necessary.

Alaska said in a statement: “Face masks have been like boarding passes for nearly two years — you couldn’t fly without one. But, as of today, masks are optional in airports and onboard aircraft, effective immediately. 

“Due to a judicial decision in our federal court system, the mask mandate has been overturned, which means our guests and employees have the option to wear a mask while traveling in the U.S. and at work.”

Not everybody in travel circles, however, was as clear-cut on the ruling as was United and Alaska. Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy at the U.S. Travel Association, said “today’s court ruling on the federal mask mandate requires clarity from the federal government and enforcement agencies for the sake of the traveling public and the employees of the travel industry.” 

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki expressed disappointment in the ruling by  U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, adding “we would say to anyone sitting out there, we would recommend you wear masks on the airplane.”

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