The Board of Directors at Airlines for America (A4A) sent a letter to the White House on March 23, urging U.S. President Joe Biden to lift pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirements and the federal transportation mask mandates.
“Now is the time for the Administration to sunset federal transportation travel restrictions,” the letter states, adding that the rules “are no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment.”
The letter was sent to Biden by A4A, a travel industry association, after it was signed by the CEOs of Alaska Air Group, American Airlines, Atlas Air Worldwide, Aviation FedEx Express, Hawaiian Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, UPS Airlines, and A4A.
Imposed in 2021, the mandate was most recently extended to April 18, 2022, USA Today reports. Citing relevant statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the joint letter reminded the president of his statement, “thanks to the progress we have made in the past year, COVID-19 no longer need control our lives.”
Recent CDC COVID-19 tracking data demonstrates steady declines in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Using these numbers to bolster their argument, the airline executives asserted their historical compliance with and adoption of the most rigorous pandemic protocols.
“Our industry has leaned into science at every turn,” the letter argued.
The airlines say they are initiating contact tracing, mandating the wearing of masks, conducting intensified cleaning and disinfecting, and having passengers acknowledge any history with COVID-19.
“The persistent and steady decline of hospitalization and death rates are the most compelling indicators that our country is well protected against severe disease from COVID-19. Given that we have entered a different phase of dealing with this virus, we strongly support your view that ‘COVID-19 need no longer control our lives,'” the letter states.
Collectively, the airline CEOs pointed to the loosening of restrictions occurring nationwide at athletic events, in schools, and in restaurants as evidence that such relaxation no longer indicates the super-spreader circumstances once feared.
“We are encouraged by the current data and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions from coast to coast, which indicate it is past time to eliminate COVID-era transportation policies,” the letter to Biden continued.
In their request to the president, the airlines note that Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have all done away with mandate rules. They say the U.S. commercial airlines are inflicted with the hindrance for air travel and tourism by imposing an extra tier of prevention that other countries have discarded.
The A4A said flight crews are stressed and strained from experiencing in-flight conflicts that increase among passengers when tempers flare over the COVID-19 rules.
“This is not a function they are trained to perform and subjects them to daily challenges by frustrated customers,” says the letter.
The White House has yet to respond to the airlines’ appeal publicly.