US Airlines Dump Mask Mandates

Federal Judge Kathryn Mizelle’s ruling prompts swift end to in-air masking

Yesterday, Federal Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle for the Middle District of Florida ruled that the CDC had exceeded its authority, voiding the Biden administration’s mask mandate for airlines and other public transportation. Shortly after, social media erupted with stories of cheering passengers as major US airlines including Delta, Southwest, United, American, Alaska, JetBlue, Spirit, and Frontier dumped their mask mandates, in many cases making the announcement mid-flight.

The Post Millennial @TPostMillennial

Passengers on a Delta Airlines flight cheer after the end of the federal mask mandate is announced.

Dillon Thomas @DillonMThomas

😷MASK MANDATE LIFTED😷 Myself, and a couple hundred others, just learned mid-flight that the mask mandate is over?! The @Delta Airlines staff just got on the intercom to announce the mandate is lifted and now optional! Cheers followed the announcement! @CBSDenver @CBSNews

It was a powerful and much-welcome display of unified civil resistance across the country—no doubt planned in advance by many pilots and other airline employees as they awaited Judge Mizelle’s ruling. Airlines had been pressing the federal government to end the mask mandate for months, and the celebratory mid-flight announcements put the Biden administration in a tight spot politically, revealing just how unpopular the mandates really were and making the administration look like they’re ruining the party should they try to appeal the ruling.