'We're still in a crisis': Flight attendants want federal mask mandate extended
Wearing a mask has been part of the new normal of air travel during the pandemic. With the vaccination rollout continuing to pick up steam and many states beginning to ease COVID-19 restrictions and easing mask mandates, some people are wondering when the federal government may follow suit and pull back on its mask mandate on planes.
According to flight attendants, the answer to that question should be, "not anytime soon."
The head of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which reps workers at airlines such as United, Alaska, Frontier and Spirit, said as much during a meeting Wednesday of a Senate subcommittee on aviation safety. "We are still in the middle of the crisis,'' said Sara Nelson. "I do think it's important that we recognize that and stay the course here with the mask policies, with all of our diligence (and) with the efforts to get the vaccine out to everyone.''
Airlines also support extending the mask mandate on airplanes. But for how long? Pandemic fatigue is a concern for health officials, as is hesitancy to get the COVID vaccine. During the Senate hearing, a health expert said the new coronavirus variant strains that have popped up have made it harder to determine when it will be safe to roll back mask mandates.
"So right now our recommendation from the science community is to continue wearing a mask,'' said Dr. Leonard Marcus, director of the Aviation Public Health Initiative at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He added that while there is growing evidence that vaccinated people gathered outside have a very low risk of catching or transmitting the virus, there are conflicting reports on whether that applies in indoor settings like airports or planes.
U.S. airlines have required passengers to wear masks since shortly after the pandemic broke out in 2020, but were faced with a constant struggle around enforcement. Industry officials asked for a federal mask mandate to help the airlines enforce mask-wearing on flights, but those efforts failed until Joe Biden was elected to the White House. He signed an executive order requiring masks be worn on all flights shortly after taking office.
Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month