Airlines began requiring masks before the government did. For example, after the 2017 Equifax breach, which exposed sensitive information from 143 million Americans because the company failed to institute a routine security update to its software, it agreed to pay a penalty of at least $575 million to the Federal Trade Commission. President Joe Biden recently extended the rule until March 18, 2022. color: #111B40; An airline-by-airline look at facemask policies as of Tuesday, April 19. "The conditions in aviation are the same," the union said in a statement. (Kelly retired as CEO this month.). 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Well, if you are a corporate executive whose compensation is tied to stock prices and earnings statements released every three months, there are strong incentives to address any immediate problem by essentially adding a bit of duct tape and wire to what you already have, rather than spending a large amount of money updating software is costly and difficult to address the root problem. However, even with the shiniest hardware, the software that plays a critical role inside many systems is too often antiquated and, in some cases, decades old. However, on Monday, a Florida federal judge struck down the Administration's mandate. In accordance with the Transportation . April 11, 2022 / 5:15 PM / MoneyWatch. Like recent guidance regarding masks in other settings, the CDC says any revision will be based on the levels of COVID-19 at the community level, as well as on the risk of new variants, national data and the latest science. Airplanes and airports are among the few remaining places where face masks are required, but they might not be after Sept. 13 if the rule . Celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2021, Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel and now carries more air travelers flying nonstop within the United States than any other airline1. In a statement, the airline said it "will respect anyone's decision to choose whether to wear The Y2K incident is also a remarkable testament to how fast hardware has been advancing. "There is risk we may see some of that in North America and it's all dependent on case rates," Rob Morris, head of airline analytics company Ascend by Cirium, said. of Southwest in 2004, retired this year, with an estimated net worth in the tens of millions of dollars, so the crisis did indeed occur under someone elses tenure. Jacob Sullum. } .swa-footer--copyright-text a:hover{ Fast forward two years, and airlines, which pushed for an end to the mandate, are rushing to remove the mask requirement. Software shortcomings contributed to previous, smaller-scale meltdowns, and Southwest unions had repeatedly warned about the software. according to data provider World Population Reviews. Every night, we deep clean each plane from nose to tail for more than 6 hours. COVID-19 travel restrictions, quarantine and testing information. [TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider (its free!)]. Now, anyone on those flights can go maskless if they want to, and Southwest CEO Robert E. Jordan is all for it. And these. "We encourage individuals to make the best decision to support their personal wellbeing and to check local airport mask policies when traveling," a statement read. Updated: 8:23 PM EDT April 18, 2022. Which brings us back to Southwest. width: 348px; Reuters. } .air-booking-select-compare-fares-secondary .compare-fares-secondary--flyby { The Biden administration announced on Tuesday evening that it would appeal the court ruling throwing out the mask mandate. Charter airline TUI says masks can be dropped for those traveling to or from England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, but flights to and from Scotland and some overseas countries, like the US, still require face coverings. U-TURN IN THE AIR: Woman refuses to wear mask on flight to London, so pilot heads back to Florida, 'SIT DOWN, KAREN': Delta passenger removed from flight after mask dispute. Opens new window. "Given travel's slow economic recovery, and in light of the improved public health metrics in the U.S. and medical advancements to prevent the worst outcomes of COVID-19, we encourage the administration to immediately remove travel requirements that no longer fit with the current environment and to set clear timelines and metrics for when others will be lifted,"the letter said. So Im really happy for them.. Southwest Airlines is considering applications for exemptions from the mask requirement from passengers with a disability who cannot wear a mask but states that "several conditions apply that must be completed/adhered to prior to travel and receiving a mask exemption." For flights to and from the United States: Spirit Airlines: Face masks are optional on flights for passengers and crew. Even . ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. Southwest Airlines Co.operates one of the worlds most admired and awarded airlines, offering its one-of-a-kind value and Hospitality at 121 airports across 11 countries. Although COVID infection rates are nowhere near where they were earlier during the pandemic, they have recently gone up. Allegiant Airlines: The mask mandatewill no longer be enforced for passengers or employees. ", JetBlue tweeted on Monday that masks are no longer required on board, but said "while no longer required, customers and crewmembers may continue wearing masks in our terminals and onboard our aircraft. With COVID cases on the decline, some European airlines have also dropped the mandate on certain routes. With the mandate now expired, several US airlines are joining a handful of European carriers by dropping the rule on aircraft. content: "(That money is all yours. Once a saver, always a saver: Warren Buffett says generational wealth isnt what it used to be in his annual letter Its bigger than the housing crisis: An influential economist just blamed NIMBYs for American decline, and Elon Musk CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. The era when even two digits mattered is very much within living memory, and software written during that period is still running many systems. Hawaiian tweeted its new policy, making masks optional, but noted there are some origin or arrival airports that still require masks. ", Delta updated its mask policy on April 18 saying "masks are optional for all airport employees, crew members, and customers inside US airports and onboard all aircraft domestically, as well as on most international flights.". Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops delivered daily to your inbox. } No horrific parking, no security lines, no strict TSA policies, no crowds, no waiting around. Similar to BA, London-based EasyJet has ended the mask requirement on flights where the origin and destination do not require them. "Given the unexpected nature of this announcement, please be aware that customers, airline employees and federal agency employees such as TSA may be receiving this information at different times," Delta said in a statement. } However, children under five are not eligible for the vaccine, and they can be less effective on people who are immunocompromised. We had available crews and aircraft, but our technology struggled to align our resources due to the magnitude and scale of the disruptions. Shortly after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, mask-wearing became the new reality for most people across the globe. } "Following todays ruling by a federal district court judge in Florida that the Biden administrations mask mandate is unlawful, the mandate is no longer in effect while the ruling is being reviewed. by Rachel Scully - 12/16/21 7:47 AM ET. left: 277px !important; } This is why we cant just keep leaving the operation of more and more of our infrastructure and our lives to antiquated software and self-interested executives. Major airlines and airports are rushing to drop their mask requirements following a federal court ruling that struck down the federal government's . We flew JetSuiteX for the first time to Las Vegas and had a wonderful time. As of March 16, Virgin Atlantic has changed its mask rules to be optional on flights from Heathrow and Manchester to the Caribbean. "Given the immediate nature of this change, our website and other customer-facing materials may continue to say a mask is required. The union for flight attendants at Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is asking the White House and other aviation regulators to drop face mask mandates that have become a hallmark of flying during . That improvement seems not to have occurred. Montgomery told me that employees had sent in screenshots that showed their being left on hold on the phone for three, six, seven, eight and 12 hours and even one of 17 hours just to let the company know their whereabouts and get hotel rooms arranged. Southwest Airlines Flight Crews Urge White House to Drop Face Mask Mandate Passengers can face fines of $500 to $1,000 for a first offense for not wearing masks and $1,000 to $3,000 for a second . 122 reviews of JSX "Talk about a superior way to travel for only a slightly higher cost. Now that many countries have reopened and . However, a BA spokesperson said only a small number of canceled flights were COVID-related. Southwest Communications is sharing news with the world. "If you'd feel more comfortable still wearing yours go right ahead," the carrier said. by Karl Evers-Hillstrom - 04/19/22 9:27 AM ET. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, a large union representing flight attendants at airlines including United, Alaska, Hawaiian, Spirit and Frontier, expects it will be extended again. height: 1px; "Please be kind and respectful of individual choices, and remember that wearing a mask while flying on Breeze is still an option if you choose to do so," the airline posted on its website. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Finnair became the latest airline to scrap mask requirements on its flights to and from destinations that no longer require it. ORLANDO, Fla. A union representing 16,000 Southwest flight attendants is joining calls asking for an end to the federal mask mandate on planes. some executives called on the Biden Administration to end the federal mandate in the US, a Florida federal judge struck down the Administration's mandate, According to data provided from Cirium to CBS MoneyWatch, removed the mask mandate for flights in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway in October, The Netherlandshas scrapped the mask mandate. The Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disagree with the district courts decision and will appeal, subject to CDCs conclusion that the order remains necessary for public health, the Justice Department wrote in a statement. Airlines including American, Southwest push White House to lift face mask mandates The letter signed by Fort Worth-based American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and Dallas-based Southwest. As a result of this development, effective immediately, Southwest Employees and Customers will be able to choose whether they would like to wear a mask on flights, at domestic airports, and at. Southwest Airlines canceled 2,500 more flights on Tuesday, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers as the company's holiday travel nightmare continues. A placard declaring, Another victim of SWAs outdated technology, with a graphic showing a stuck software progress bar. The mandate is currently set to end on April 18. width:556px !important Copyright 2022 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved. And unless we take steps to hold companies and executives accountable for preventable and foreseeable failures, it will be us, the public, who keep paying. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. American Airlines: Face masks will no longer be required for customers and employees at U.S. airports and on domestic flights. Initially, it seemed as if airlines would wait to find out how The Biden Administration and CDC would respond to the court ruling, but that went out the door fast. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. The Federal Mask mandate has made it a CRIME for a 2 year old to not wear a mask on a flight. This problem relying on older or deficient software that needs updating is known as incurring technical debt, meaning there is a gap between what the software needs to be and what it is. left: 467px !important; /* Fare chart comparison flyby */ A number of major airlines including American, United, Southwest, Delta and Alaska quickly announced that masks would now be optional for customers and employees domestically and on. Never miss a story: Follow your favorite topics and authors to get a personalized email with the journalism that matters most to you. Airlines,unions and consumer advocates pushed the federal government for months to mandate the policy, so flight attendants would have backing when encountering passenger resistance but found no support from President Donald Trump's administration. Download PDF (English) American Airlines has prioritized the health and safety of its team members and customers throughout the pandemic and has supported the federal government's measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. Jan 10, 2023 - Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) today launches its seasonal fare sale through Jan. 12, 2023, offering fares as low as $49 one-way for travel taking place Jan. 31, 2023, through May 17, 2023. Clickorlando - all rights reserved U.S. airports and on domestic flights rights.! News 6 Insider ( its free! southwest airlines face mask policy 2022 ]: Become a News 6 Insider ( its!... By WKMG ClickOrlando - all rights reserved to, and they can be effective! 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