Do you have to wear a mask on your next flight? These airlines are dropping mask mandates

Following a judge’s decision Monday that overturned the traffic masking rules of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, major US airlines have made the use of a mask optional for both passengers and employees. While customers may continue to wear masks if they choose to, passengers won’t have to mask many carriers for the first time in years.

These are some of the airlines that no longer require masks. For regional airlines, you should check your carrier’s website before going to the airport.

Optional masks:

• Alaska Airlines

• American Airlines

• Delta Air Lines

• Frontier Airlines

• JetBlue

• Southwest Airlines

• Spirit Airlines

• United Airlines

This does not mean that you should never wear a mask at the airport. Many airlines point out that while their new policies apply to all domestic flights, masks may still be needed to fly to some international destinations. And some airports, such as Philadelphia International Airport, still require masks at their terminals before flying.

• The Justice Department will appeal the mask sentence if the CDC says a warrant is still needed

For ground travel, the rules are a little trickier. Masks are no longer needed on Amtrak trains and Amtrak stations and in some subways, but some cities’ traffic systems still require them.

It is unclear whether the judge’s decision will be upheld. Federal agencies are reviewing the decision and can still appeal, a Biden administration official confirmed “CBS Mornings.” The CDC still encourages the use of masks on public transportation.

The news of the judge’s decision provoked various reactions. Some videos showed passengers on the plane cheering as the masks were removed, but others said they planned to keep them on.

“It’s a precautionary measure,” traveler Bob Mounter told CBS News transportation correspondent Errol Barnett. “If they tell me, for example, that I no longer have to wear a seat belt, I will still wear a seat belt.”

The decision came after the CDC recently extended the term of the mask for two weeks, until May 3, to give researchers more time to study the Omicron BA.2 subvariant.

Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious disease expert and editor-in-chief of Kaiser Health News, told CBS Mornings that the CDC enlargement was the “proper” and “prudent” approach.

“We know this virus is mutating. In fact, it is mutating very quickly,” he said. “We’ll see more variants and see other pandemics after COVID. So I think the idea of ​​stripping ourselves of a tool and an essential toolbox is a very bad idea.”

In:
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Facial mask
• CDC guidelines