News Forum - Pilots announce end of US mask mandate mid-flight, passengers divided

[Thaiger]

Midway through a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles on Monday night, the pilot announced the end of America’s requirement to wear face masks on public transport. The sound of cheering resonated through the plane and around one third of passengers instantly took off their masks, one passenger said. However, some passengers were outraged and scolded the airline for putting them at immediate risk with no way out. On Monday, a Florida federal judge voided the Biden administration’s mandate to wear face masks on planes, trains and buses. When the news hit, some passengers were already midway through the air. […]

The story Pilots announce end of US mask mandate mid-flight, passengers divided as seen on Thaiger News.

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[AdvocatusDiaboli]

44 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

Midway through a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles on Monday night, the pilot announced the end of America’s requirement to wear face masks on public transport.

So when the Justice Department appeals, and wins, and same pilot is flying and makes the announcement, what then happens to all those without a mask on the flight ….. put on the no fly list?

[rc1]

Whatever your personal view,  there's no doubt this decision to remove mandated masks will be welcomed by the majority of the travelling public.

Meanwhile, in Thailand, you're still not permitted to eat a meal on a domestic flight - a long way to go. 

[TedG]

7 hours ago, AdvocatusDiaboli said:

So when the Justice Department appeals, and wins, and same pilot is flying and makes the announcement, what then happens to all those without a mask on the flight ….. put on the no fly list?

 What makes you think the Justice Department will win? 

[Rookiescot]

The problem is you can throw your mask away on the plane and then discover you need it at the airport you are landing at.

Never understood why it turned into a political hot potato in the USA. It protects others more at risk than yourself. Surely thats the patriotic thing to do.

[Tim_Melb]

1 hour ago, rc1 said:

Whatever your personal view,  there's no doubt this decision to remove mandated masks will be welcomed by the majority of the travelling public.

Meanwhile, in Thailand, you're still not permitted to eat a meal on a domestic flight - a long way to go. 

I disagree there are plenty of people that have serious concerns about the safety of flying in regards to catching the virus and removing the mask mandate is just going to make those concerns worse. I have already seen people on social media saying they will not fly with airlines that chose not to enforce a mask mandate on passengers and flight crews. It should be noted that the video of the flight being reported showed a few people cheering and clapping but the majority did not and according to people on the flight most people did not remove their masks. I can assure you that many people will continue to wear masks whether they are mandatory or not. 

[Tim_Melb]

17 minutes ago, TedG said:

 What makes you think the Justice Department will win? 

Because the decision was made by a judge in a Florida court and Florida has been extremely right wing on everything to do with the pandemic. When it is appealed in a court away from Florida it is likely to be overturned in line with the departments public safety argument. 

[Henry]

I also struggle to understand the politicising of mask wearing most notably in the US. There are clinical reasons for wearing a mask, not wearing one merely says you don’t care whether you infect others. But to announce a policy change mid flight is madness. People have a choice and they chose to fly knowing others would be wearing masks.

Voting with your feet is the most powerful influence. If an airline is mask free it will attract some, repel others but pin your corporate flag to a mask and stick to it.

I’m reminded of the smoking bans placed on pubs and other venues in the UK in 2007. At the time even though I’m a non smoker I felt it should be down to the choice of individual venues. I’m prepared to say I was wrong. The danger is businesses would feel pressured either way. With a clear ruling in law it takes that pressure away. We will now see chaos in the air with staff powerless to enforce any rules the company may choose to implement. 

The irony is that airlines and airports are currently on their knees largely down to staff absences courtesy of covid.

[Tim_Melb]

6 minutes ago, Henry said:

I also struggle to understand the politicising of mask wearing most notably in the US. There are clinical reasons for wearing a mask, not wearing one merely says you don’t care whether you infect others. But to announce a policy change mid flight is madness. People have a choice and they chose to fly knowing others would be wearing masks.

Voting with your feet is the most powerful influence. If an airline is mask free it will attract some, repel others but pin your corporate flag to a mask and stick to it.

I’m reminded of the smoking bans placed on pubs and other venues in the UK in 2007. At the time even though I’m a non smoker I felt it should be down to the choice of individual venues. I’m prepared to say I was wrong. The danger is businesses would feel pressured either way. With a clear ruling in law it takes that pressure away. We will now see chaos in the air with staff powerless to enforce any rules the company may choose to implement. 

The irony is that airlines and airports are currently on their knees largely down to staff absences courtesy of covid.

The staff are not powerless far from it. If the staff tell you to wear a mask on the plane then you are legally required to follow their directions. They have the right to physical restrain you and/or remove you from the flight. As in the case of unruly passengers for other reasons they have the right to act and they will and I'm sure the police at airports will be happy to board an aircraft when invited and arrest people that do not comply with the directions of the staff. 

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Tim_Melb said:

I disagree there are plenty of people that have serious concerns about the safety of flying in regards to catching the virus and removing the mask mandate is just going to make those concerns worse. I have already seen people on social media saying they will not fly with airlines that chose not to enforce a mask mandate on passengers and flight crews. It should be noted that the video of the flight being reported showed a few people cheering and clapping but the majority did not and according to people on the flight most people did not remove their masks. I can assure you that many people will continue to wear masks whether they are mandatory or not. 

I flew into Chicago last night

I was on Air Canada so masks still required to fly

 

But when I landed in Chicago I would say only about 20% of people wearing a mask inside the airport 

 

I don't recall anyone wearing a mask at the 2 hotels I was at today, well except for me 

 

But that's alright

I want to wear one, they aren't required to

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Tim_Melb said:

Because the decision was made by a judge in a Florida court and Florida has been extremely right wing on everything to do with the pandemic. When it is appealed in a court away from Florida it is likely to be overturned in line with the departments public safety argument. 

Well it could be because she's has been deemed "not qualified " by the American bar

 

AND.....

Has never tried a case in court before as an attorney!

 

So I'm guessing her interpretation of the law may not be as knowledgeable as the DOJ

[Chatogaster]

1 hour ago, Rookiescot said:

The problem is you can throw your mask away on the plane and then discover you need it at the airport you are landing at.

Never understood why it turned into a political hot potato in the USA. It protects others more at risk than yourself. Surely thats the patriotic thing to do.

Forget the "patriotic thing": the entrepreneurial thing to do would be to sell masks at $12.99 a piece at the arrival gate (with a big warning sign about local mandates). 

PS: joke aside, appealing to patriotism feels like a dirty trick to me (an understanding of the benefits of masks is all that should matter, irrespective of the locality and its rules). Then again, it kind of makes sense given how the subject has been politicalized and how it has diversified people. Difficult stuff... (people, that is)

[Rookiescot]

1 hour ago, Chatogaster said:

Forget the "patriotic thing": the entrepreneurial thing to do would be to sell masks at $12.99 a piece at the arrival gate (with a big warning sign about local mandates). 

PS: joke aside, appealing to patriotism feels like a dirty trick to me (an understanding of the benefits of masks is all that should matter, irrespective of the locality and its rules). Then again, it kind of makes sense given how the subject has been politicalized and how it has diversified people. Difficult stuff... (people, that is)

It only feels like a dirty trick to you because it makes you feel uncomfortable because you know its true.

Hey if you want to put others at risk while clutching that star spangled banner then you wire in mate. 

[rc1]

8 hours ago, Tim_Melb said:

I disagree there are plenty of people that have serious concerns about the safety of flying in regards to catching the virus and removing the mask mandate is just going to make those concerns worse. I have already seen people on social media saying they will not fly with airlines that chose not to enforce a mask mandate on passengers and flight crews. It should be noted that the video of the flight being reported showed a few people cheering and clapping but the majority did not and according to people on the flight most people did not remove their masks. I can assure you that many people will continue to wear masks whether they are mandatory or not. 

In Australia, as an example - the only place mask mandates now remain( outside of a hospital)  is on public transport including airports and flights. 

The same things were said when the mask mandates were removed  in retail / indoor venues - lo and behold, no one wears them in the supermarket, lucky if 1/20.

Every airline will eventually ditch the mandates, so anyone that concerned, will be limiting their options to travel.

The world is moving forward from this, it'll come quicker than some think. 

Individuals of course will still be free to wear one. 

[rc1]

7 hours ago, Marc26 said:

I flew into Chicago last night

I was on Air Canada so masks still required to fly

But when I landed in Chicago I would say only about 20% of people wearing a mask inside the airport 

I don't recall anyone wearing a mask at the 2 hotels I was at today, well except for me 

But that's alright

I want to wear one, they aren't required to

Yup, this is ( back to) the future coming soon - choice to wear one or not. 

[analog]

10 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

Never understood why it turned into a political hot potato in the USA. It protects others more at risk than yourself. Surely thats the patriotic thing to do.

It didn't turn into a political hot potato. It always has been political. Consider this: On all those flights with mask mandates, you can pull your mask down at any time to drink a sip of water or eat some peanuts.

You can pull your mask down for 30 minutes while you munch an airplane meal of lasagna, fruit salad, and crackers.

You can pull your mask down while you order wine at night and coffee in the morning.

That's a hell of a lot of time for people to have their masks down on long international flights. Picking at their food, then pulling their masks back on with their grubby fingers.

There's nothing scientific about airline mask mandates, and never has been. Such mandates are merely political posturing.

Edited April 20, 2022 by analog

[Pinetree]

Stopping the wearing of masks in confined spaces, such as aircraft, busses, trains, is idiotic. Then again, as we all know who have suffered under them, US Airlines are by far the worst in the World, bar perhaps Brazil, Russia and Indonesia. 

[analog]

On 4/20/2022 at 10:55 PM, Pinetree said:

Stopping the wearing of masks in confined spaces, such as aircraft, busses, trains, is idiotic. Then again, as we all know who have suffered under them, US Airlines are by far the worst in the World, bar perhaps Brazil, Russia and Indonesia. 

Masks as they are worn by the public do little good. They are not airtight, they are reused and handled repeatedly, making them harboring ground for bacteria and viruses, and they are pulled down for sips of water and bites of food. It's all about fear management.

I suppose you support the wearing of masks on public transportation for the rest of human history? There will always be bugs, viral threats, and germs out there in the big scary world. The pandemic is over. Is it worth it to forever sacrifice our facial expressions and ability to communicate nonverbally—both things that factor heavily into our happiness as humans—in public spaces, just to assuage irrational fears?

The damage being done to our social fabric by lockdowns and mask mandates is real. Better than masks, we should seek a population that is educated out of our constant state of fear.

Edited April 22, 2022 by analog

[Fanta]

16 minutes ago, analog said:

Masks as they are worn by the public do little good. They are not airtight, they are reused and handled repeatedly, making them harboring ground for bacteria and viruses, and they are pulled down for sips of water and bites of food. It's all about fear management.

It is all about risk management, not fear management. 
Imo, using a mask is the same as using a condom. Not a bad idea and not always your choice. 

[analog]

23 hours ago, Fanta said:

It is all about risk management, not fear management. 
Imo, using a mask is the same as using a condom. Not a bad idea and not always your choice. 

I suppose you would support a bill enforcing condom mandates then.

Edited April 23, 2022 by analog

[Fanta]

6 hours ago, analog said:

I suppose you would support a bill enforcing condom mandates then.

If people were forced to participate in orgies of 200 or more random strangers all day every day and every night, as regular as breathing, and there was a rampant sexual disease on the loose killing or hospitalizing people then probably not a bad idea. Of course some selfish people would ignore the mandate, expect prompt and adequate medical care to treat the preventable illness they acquired because of their own risk taking and then whine on their deathbeds crying “why me?” Go figure. Fortunately there is no law banning the wearing of a mask/condom so I will continue to wear one when appropriate to protect myself.

[Grumpish]

On 4/22/2022 at 3:05 PM, Fanta said:

It is all about risk management, not fear management. 
Imo, using a mask is the same as using a condom. Not a bad idea and not always your choice. 

An excellent analogy - I hate using a condom, but I do, to provide some degree of protection for myself and, just as important, protection for someone else. Masks only provide a limited amount of protection, but some is better than none at all.

[Henry]

On 4/20/2022 at 1:49 PM, Tim_Melb said:

The staff are not powerless far from it. If the staff tell you to wear a mask on the plane then you are legally required to follow their directions. They have the right to physical restrain you and/or remove you from the flight. As in the case of unruly passengers for other reasons they have the right to act and they will and I'm sure the police at airports will be happy to board an aircraft when invited and arrest people that do not comply with the directions of the staff. 

The problem is if it isn’t a legal requirement to wear a mask then passengers are going to quote that to the airline staff. Staff can restrain you for breaking federal laws such as smoking on board but I suspect it’s a bit harder if they are merely implementing company policy.

You know as well as me how empowered some people feel and how they will insist rather than comply. You’re in a tin can with 300 crazy people.

Are masks medically effective on a plane? Theoretically yes but we’ve all seen people wearing them incorrectly even when the staff re trying their hardest. How many times can you tell someone to pull the mask up over their nose on a 12 hour flight?

[Fanta]

6 hours ago, Henry said:

How many times can you tell someone to pull the mask up over their nose on a 12 hour flight?

Twice. Third time - “This is your captain speaking. Would the passenger in Seat 27B please prepare to exit the aircraft. Your parachute awaits. Cabin crew, please arm the doors.” A few viral videos later and all good. You got to be cruel to be kind ;-) 

[Marc26]

7 hours ago, Henry said:

The problem is if it isn’t a legal requirement to wear a mask then passengers are going to quote that to the airline staff. Staff can restrain you for breaking federal laws such as smoking on board but I suspect it’s a bit harder if they are merely implementing company policy.

You know as well as me how empowered some people feel and how they will insist rather than comply. You’re in a tin can with 300 crazy people.

Are masks medically effective on a plane? Theoretically yes but we’ve all seen people wearing them incorrectly even when the staff re trying their hardest. How many times can you tell someone to pull the mask up over their nose on a 12 hour flight?

I don't think it happens that often, IMO

 

I've probably flown more in the last 2 years than most people

I've only seen less than a handful people blatantly flauting the rule