Airlines call on Pres. Biden to lift COVID-19 mask mandates for travelers

A letter to the White House was signed by 10 major airline CEOs

(Yeko Photo Studio, Sergejs Rahunoks @ Yeko Photo Studio)

Several airline CEOs are petitioning to have COVID-19 precautions lifted for travelers, NBC News reports.

Airlines for America sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday which reads, in part:

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“The high level of immunity in the U.S., availability of high-quality masks for those who wish to use them, hospital-grade cabin air, widespread vaccine availability and newly available therapeutics provide a strong foundation for the Administration to lift the mask mandate and pre-departure testing requirements.”

The letter was signed by the CEOs of 10 major airlines, including United, Delta and American.

This follows the Transportation Security Administration’s decision earlier this month to extend the mask mandate on public transportation until April 18. In the letter, the airline CEOs explained that these mask mandates have required airline employees to deal with many frustrated passengers.

“We are requesting this action not only for the benefit of the traveling public but also for the thousands of airline employees charged with enforcing a patchwork of now-outdated regulations implemented in response to COVID-19,” the letter read.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s tracker says of the 961 reports of unruly behavior on planes this year, 635 have involved masks.

Read the entire letter below: