Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

UPDATE 6:20pm ET, April 18, 2022

The CDC and TSA the federal mask mandate is no longer in effect after today's court ruling. 

From the CDC: "The agencies are reviewing the decision and assessing potential next steps. In the meantime, today's court decision means CDC's public transportation masking order is not in effect at this time. Therefore. TSA will not enforce its Security Directives and Emergency Amendment requiring mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs at this time. CDC recommends that people continue to wear masks in indoor public transportation settings."

Flight Attendants need to look for communication from your airline on what the new policy is and how to communicate that to passengers. We need to do everything we can to help our airlines be clear with Flight Attendants and passengers as it relates to the mask mandate ending. And of course, we will ensure Flight Attendants retain personal options to protect themselves during the ongoing pandemic. The CDC continues to recommend wearing masks.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle from Florida issued a decision today to vacate the federal mask mandate in transportation, although it is not yet clear what this means for travelers today. Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO (AFA) issued the following statement:

"We will soon have more legal analysis on what this means and what next steps may be taken in court by the government. We urge focus on clear communication so that Flight Attendants and other frontline workers are not subject to more violence created by uncertainty and confusion.

"Immediately, we urge calm and consistency in the airports and on planes. The last thing we need for workers on the frontlines or passengers traveling today is confusion and chaos. Traveling can be stressful enough and safety comes first with respect for everyone utilizing collective modes of transportation.

"In aviation operations, it is impossible to simply flip a switch from one minute to the next. It takes a minimum of 24-48 hours to implement new procedures and communicate this throughout the entire network. Policies and procedures must be updated and thoroughly communicated to hundreds of thousands of employees, along with millions of travelers. Announcements and signage, electronic and physical must be updated.

"We encourage travelers to check the latest updates from airlines for specific travel requirements while airlines implement any new policies. Flight Attendants and other aviation workers should check for the latest instructions from your airline and proceed accordingly.

"While we all look forward to the day masks are no longer required, we also know the federal mask mandate for transportation was critical in its early days for confidence in travel and safety for workers and travelers while mitigation factors such as vaccines, adequate supplies of PPE, and testing became more accessible. We urge all leaders to consider a thoughtful transition and implementation to any new policy, which also includes on-going personal choice of protection for crew and passengers.

"We urge everyone to practice patience, remain calm, and to continue to follow crewmember instructions. And we remind passengers that it is legally required to follow crewmember instructions, and that disruptive behavior has serious consequences as it puts everyone at risk. Our work space is your travel space. Let's get where we're going, together."