Federal Mask Rule Dropped for Travel on U.S. Planes, Buses and Trains

All major airlines announced within hours that passengers and employees no longer need to wear face masks. Delta added that they “may continue wearing masks if they so choose.” The airline’s chief health officer, Henry Ting, M.D., said, “Wearing a well-fitting mask — such as a KN95 — protects the wearer, even if others around them are not wearing masks.” Other medical experts have agreed.

Delta also acknowledges the confusion this new ruling may cause, as people “may be receiving this information at different times.” The company therefore asks passengers to “remember to show understanding and patience with others who may not be aware enforcement is no longer required.”

Disputes over mask wearing have been one reason for passengers’ unruly and sometimes violent behavior going through security and in the air. From the middle of January 2021 through Dec. 21, 2021, there were 5,779 reports of unruly passenger behavior, at times involving physical assault, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Many airlines stopped serving alcohol on board for many months during the pandemic, concerned that inebriation was fueling bad behavior.

Many U.S. airports also have said masks are now optional (check your airport’s website before traveling). But note that rules may be different for international travel. Alaska Airlines says that passengers must continue to wear masks on flights both to and from Canada, and in airports within Canada and Mexico, for instance.

British Airways advises, “If you are traveling on our flights, you will be required to wear a mask on board if the destination you are flying to or from requires you to.”

The travel industry, eager to get back to business as usual, has long been pushing for the mask rule to be lifted. The U.S. Travel Association said approvingly in a statement on Monday that the court order was “a further step toward endemic management of COVID.” Several public health experts, however, took to social media to express their displeasure with the decision, citing concern for people who are at higher risk for serious illness if they contract COVID while traveling.

How to protect yourself

If you are at higher risk for complications from COVID-19, the best way to protect yourself from infection when others are unmasked is to wear a well-fitted respirator mask like an N95 or KN95.

As the name suggests, these masks are at least 95 percent effective at filtering out virus-sized particles, including the virus that causes COVID-19, when worn correctly. A study published by the CDC in February found that people who wore an N95 or KN95 mask in indoor public settings were 83 percent less likely to test positive for COVID-19 than those who wore no mask.