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TSA extends the travel mask mandate through April 18

In this 2020 photo, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant prepares a plane for takeoff at the Kansas City International airport in Kansas City, Mo. TSA's travel mask mandate has been extended a month, to April 18, 2022. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption

In this 2020 photo, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant prepares a plane for takeoff at the Kansas City International airport in Kansas City, Mo. TSA's travel mask mandate has been extended a month, to April 18, 2022.

The Transportation Security Administration is extending the current mandate for mask use on public transportation and in transportation hubs through April 18.

The mandate had been set to expire on March 18.

The extension is based on a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a statement Thursday, TSA said the CDC will work on a "revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor."

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.

The agency left the door open to an earlier termination of the policy, should the science support that.

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Cdc says americans can now go unmasked in many parts of the country.

The travel extension comes two weeks after the CDC relaxed its mask guidance for communities where hospitals aren't under high strain, and as states around the country — and across the political spectrum — have relaxed a number of precautionary measures, including on indoor mask usage.

Citing the changing guidelines surrounding hospitalization rates and local pandemic requirements, a number of travel industry stakeholders had hoped to see the mask mandate expire on the original March 18 cutoff.

A Feb. 25 letter to Jeffrey Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, asked that the Biden administration repeal the travel mask mandate and roll back other precautionary travel measures.

"With declining hospitalization rates, increased immunity, widely available vaccines and cutting-edge treatments on the horizon, America is reaching an inflection point where endemic-focused policies can replace pandemic-driven restrictions," said the letter, which was signed by Airlines for America, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Travel Association.

The trade organizations represent some of the biggest players in the U.S. travel industry, including airlines American, Delta and United, and hotel companies Marriott and Hilton.

"As leading U.S. travel and business organizations, we respectfully urge the Administration to chart a clear course for replacing pandemic-era travel advisories, requirements and restrictions with endemic focused policies of a 'new normal' that enable travel to resume fully, freely and safely," the letter said.

Among its recommendations, the travel organizations asked that the White House collaborate internationally to "normalize" travel conditions and entry requirements.

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TSA Extends Plane Mask Mandate Until May

 Hugo Lin / Verywell

While the CDC decided to extend the mask mandate  on public transportation until May 3, a federal judge has since struck it down. The mask mandate is no longer in effect while it undergoes review.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may have updated their mask guidance recently, but if you’re going on a flight, you still have to wear a mask.

The federal mask requirement for everyone across all transportation networks—which includes airports and commercial aircrafts—is still in effect. The mandate was originally set to expire in May of 2021.

Experts say it is too soon to be lifting mask mandates on transportation, which can effectively minimize COVID-19 transmission.

Should the Mask Mandates Be Extended?

Transportation hubs and modes of public transportation nationwide are usually high-traffic areas where there may be an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission.

“I do think that it is too soon to lift mask mandates in airports and airplanes,” Beth Oller, MD , family physician at Solomon Valley Family Medicine, told Verywell. “We know that aircraft ventilation and filtration systems reduce the risk of transmission of airborne COVID enormously, however, there is still a risk.”

The risk depends on the flight duration, how well you and other passengers wear their masks, and whether you are seated near someone with COVID-19, she added.

Although the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations appear to be on a downward trend lately, it’s still important to continue the preventive public health strategies to minimize the likelihood of any surges in the future.

“Omicron is so highly infectious that in close contact only a very short time of exposure can lead to transmission,” Stanley H. Weiss, MD , professor of medicine at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health, told Verywell. “Plus, those who have had a natural infection or have been vaccinated are at risk of reinfection.”

Mask mandates would also help protect unvaccinated populations—including children below 5 years old who can't get vaccinated yet—and immunocompromised individuals who might not build adequate immunity to COVID-19 from vaccines.

Flight Attendants Await Direction

The mask mandates are in place not only to protect the passengers, but all the airport and aircraft staff as well. Like everyone, flight attendants are waiting to see whether the mandates will be extended or not.

“As of right now, we are still awaiting direction from the Department of Transportation, Transportation Security Administration, and public health officials with regards to mask updates on transportation," a spokesperson from the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) , told Verywell. "As of today, the best ways to protect yourself on an aircraft remain the same. We hope we will know more in the coming weeks."

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) has not taken a position on whether the mask policy should be extended. But they say in a press release that it's possible it may be extended based on a few factors like:

• Young passengers not yet having access to the vaccine
• Safety procedures being typically harmonized around the world
• Ensuring passenger confidence in the safety of air travel

What This Means For You

It is recommended that you continue wearing masks at the airport and on planes to minimize COVID-19 transmission as much as possible.

Are Masks Effective in Reducing COVID-19 Transmission?

Air filtration and distribution systems used in airplanes are highly effective at reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission among passengers, but in-flight transmission can still occur.

“While the risk may be low for some, it is driven even lower when good ventilation is coupled with masking,” Oller said. “There is a big chance that the flight is not the riskiest part of your trip, but that exposure from being in the airport may present a higher risk as the air filtration is not as good [in] airports. People take their masks off to eat and drink, and you are around many more people than those just on your flight.”

Without masks, COVID-19 transmission is more likely to occur.

“On a plane, the flight crew is enforcing wearing of masks, [but] in airports, there is currently very little or no enforcement in many regions,” Weiss said. “Yet, the waiting time can be prolonged, especially as there can be delays. Plus the existing ventilation greatly varies in these closed, indoor locations.”

According to the newly released masking guidelines by the CDC, masking indoors in public is only recommended for places with a high COVID-19 community level. This might be tricky with airports given that people may have been from a location where the community level is highly different from that of their destination.

“The place of embarkment does not reflect all the places a person might have recently been at,” Weiss said. “Furthermore, persons at an airport are likely encountering persons who have been elsewhere.”

It's Best to Continue Wearing Masks on Planes

To increase COVID-19 protection when going on a flight, Weiss and Oller both recommended continuing to wear masks in airports and on planes even if the mandate will no longer be in place. They advised the use of well-fitting N95 or KN95 masks.

Should you remove them briefly to eat or drink, put them back in place immediately, and make sure that the mask goes over the nose at all times.

Similar to getting vaccinated, wearing a mask does not just protect you—it protects others, too. Even without a mandate, you can choose to wear a mask to make the flight safer for everybody.

“Wearing a mask in public indoor places reduces the risk of contracting COVID and this will hold true in airports and in planes,” Oller said. “I also think that wearing a mask on a plane is a courtesy to those around you, especially fellow travelers who are medically vulnerable or unable to be vaccinated, and to the flight crews, who are exposed to hundreds of people daily.”

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page .

Pombal R, Hosegood I, Powell D. Risk of COVID-19 during air travel . JAMA . 2020;324(17):1798. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.19108

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 community levels .

By Carla Delgado Delgado is a health and culture writer specializing in health, science, and environmental sustainability.

TSA to extend mask mandate for planes, public transportation until April 18

WASHINGTON — The Transportation Security Administration is extending the mask mandate on public transportation until April 18, according to a White House official and a TSA official.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when the mask rules can be lifted during this time, said the White House official.

The requirement was set to expire on March 18 after having been extended twice before.

On Wednesday, the agency put out a release ahead of a busy spring break travel period offering ten tips for getting through TSA efficiently, with the first tip being "continue to wear a face mask."

TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement the agency's collaboration with industry and federal partners has been instrumental through the pandemic, "and now we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel as demonstrated by the rapid recovery of the travel industry."

The mask requirement has stayed in place even after the CDC announced a shift in Covid-19 guidance in February, saying most Americans are safe without a mask in indoor settings.

The change to the mask guidance leans less heavily on the number of Covid-19 cases as a key measure, instead giving more weight to hospitalizations and local hospital capacity.

Heidi Przybyla is an NBC News correspondent.

Jay Blackman is an NBC News producer covering such areas as transportation, space, medical and consumer issues.

Teaganne Finn is a political reporter for NBC News.

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TSA extends face mask requirement through May 3, 2022

At CDC's recommendation, TSA will extend the Security Directives and Emergency Amendment requiring mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs for 15 days through May 3, 2022.

CDC continues to monitor the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, especially the BA.2 subvariant that now makes up more than 85% of U.S. cases.  Since early April 2022, there have been increases in the 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases in the United States. During the 15-day extension period, CDC will assess the potential impact the recent rise of COVID-19 cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations, deaths, and healthcare system capacity. TSA will continue to coordinate closely with CDC and communicate any changes to this requirement with the public.

Yes, masks are still required on planes and at airports despite new CDC mask guidelines

Flying soon? Don't forget to bring a mask.

Despite updated COVID-19 mask guidance announced Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the lifting of mask mandates across the country , the federal mask mandate covering planes, airports, trains and other public transportation is in effect until at least March 18.

"The mask requirement remains in place and we will continue to assess the duration of the requirement in consultation with CDC," Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Robert Langston said in a statement Friday.

The TSA mandate was announced in January 2021 , though U.S. airlines have required passengers to wear masks since May 2020 , a few months into the coronavirus pandemic.  

NEW CDC GUIDELINES: More than 70% of Americans can take off their masks indoors under new CDC guidelines on COVID-19 risk

AIRLINES OFFER FREE CHANGES  on many plane tickets. Except these. And these. And these.

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. During the presidential campaign in 2020, Joe Biden promised to institute a transportation mask mandate if elected as one of many ways to combat COVID-19.

The mandate has been extended three times since it went into effect in February 2021.

Will the mask mandate for travel be extended?

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.

"The conditions in aviation are the same," the union said in a statement. "Our youngest passengers do not yet have access to the vaccine. The airplane is a unique, but controlled environment for everyone's safety. The layered approach to safety and security includes masks. Aviation is a world-wide network that harmonizes safety procedures around the world. It’s also critical that we maintain passenger confidence in the safety of air travel."

Do I still need to wear a mask on a plane?

Airlines have not come out with a public stance on whether the mandate should be extended. 

But Airlines for America, the industry's trade group, together with other travel industry associations and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on Saturday, sent a letter to White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeffrey Zients requesting that the mask mandate be repealed by March 18 or "provide a clear roadmap to remove the mask mandate without 90 days."

"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.

The groups are also seeking an end to pre-departure COVID testing for fully vaccinated passengers on international flights to the U.S., and an end to broad "avoid travel" advisories to destinations outside the U.S. that have COVID case rates that are equal to or less than the case rates in America.

AVOID TRAVEL: CDC warns US travelers to avoid nearly 60% of international destinations

In mid-January, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said it was premature to speculate on when passengers would be able to fly without masks.

"Obviously, that's going to be driven by the medical experts and not by the airlines, and we'll follow their guidance," he said on the airline's quarterly earnings conference call.

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly drew criticism at a Senate hearing in December 2021 for saying masks don't do much on planes. 

"I think the case is very strong that masks don't add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment," Kelly said. "It is very safe and high-quality compared to any other indoor setting."

He and other executives testified without masks on, and Kelly tested positive for the coronavirus  soon after. (Kelly retired as CEO this month.)

Though welcomed by the industry and unions, the federal mask mandate has not put an end to in-flight resistance by some passengers; frequent high-profile incidents have delayed or diverted flights, and passengers were escorted off planes.

There have been 607 unruly passenger incidents in 2022, 397 of which were tied to masks, the Federal Aviation Administration reported this week.

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

Fines for not wearing mask on plane

Passengers who refuse to wear masks face fines and other consequences.

Last fall, Biden doubled the fines for travelers who refuse to mask up in airports. The fines are  $500 to $1,000 for first offenders and $1,000 to $3,000 for repeat offenders . Children under the age of 2 and those with certain disabilities are exempt. 

Airline mask requirement timeline

► April 2020: United, Frontier add mask requirement for flight attendants , and others soon follow.

► May 2020 : JetBlue Airways becomes the  first U.S. airline to require masks for passengers, a policy quickly matched by other airlines.

► January 2021 : President Joe Biden announces federal mask mandate for travel with an initial expiration date of May 11. Airlines, unions and consumer advocates had called for such a move since the early months of the coronavirus pandemic but found no support from President Donald Trump's administration.

► April 2021 : Federal mask mandate  extended through Sept. 13 .

► August 2021 : Mandate extended through Jan. 18 because of the delta variant of the coronavirus.

► December 2021 : Mandate  extended through March 18 because of the omicron variant.

Contributing: Bailey Schulz

clock This article was published more than  2 years ago

Mask mandate extended for air travel and public transit

The decision comes amid a broader rollback in restrictions elsewhere in the country as coronavirus cases have fallen.

Travelers will have to continue to wear masks until at least April 18 when flying commercially and in other transportation settings, including on buses, ferries and subways, officials announced Thursday.

The mandate, put into place early last year by the Biden administration as a public health measure during the coronavirus pandemic, has been extended multiple times. It had been set to expire March 18 before the one-month extension, announced by the Transportation Security Administration.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it would work with the TSA and other agencies to determine what changes to the policy are warranted. The mask requirement for transportation settings is one of the highest-profile federal pandemic-related mandates still in place.

“This revised framework will be based on the COVID-19 community levels, risk of new variants, national data, and the latest science,” the CDC said in a statement. The agency did not offer additional information on why it opted to extend the mandate.

The extension of the mandate comes as airlines are expecting a surge in spring travel. The emergence of the omicron variant just after Thanksgiving dampened demand for flights, but carriers said they expected bookings to rebound. In recent weeks, information from the TSA shows an increase in the number of people screened at airport checkpoints.

The mandate has drawn criticism from some Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Roger Wicker (Miss.), who has lobbied to end the mask requirement.

Shortly before Thursday’s announcement, Wicker, the top Republican on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and 30 other senators sent a letter to President Biden urging him to lift pandemic-related travel restrictions.

“I am disappointed President Biden has chosen to extend these mandates yet again,” Wicker said in a statement after the announcement. “The science does not support this decision.”

A group of 90 Republican House members, led by Reps. Guy Reschenthaler (Pa.) and Doug LaMalfa (Calif.), sent a similar letter to Administrator David Pekoske of the TSA earlier this week, saying the mask mandate should not be extended.

Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) and other Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at rescinding the requirement.

Some in the transportation industry also had argued it was time for the rule to be set aside. The American Public Transportation Association wrote to the White House last week to say ending the mandate would help keep the country on a path “back to normality.”

Industry and labor groups largely praised Biden for imposing the mandate shortly after he took office, but Thursday’s announcement that it would be extended drew a tepid response, with some groups saying it was time to rethink the requirement.

Airlines for America, the trade group that represents major U.S. airlines, said its members would continue to comply with the mask mandate, but also urged the administration to “identify a path forward from covid-era policies,” such as mask-wearing and pre-departure testing for international travelers.

The extension of the mask mandate comes after states have rolled back rules that people wear masks indoors and as the CDC has revised its rules on mask-wearing. The revised guidance details new metrics and color-coded zones designed to help individuals assess the risk in their community so they are able to determine whether extra precautions are needed.

CDC issues sweeping mask mandate for planes, public transportation in U.S.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a Thursday briefing that the extension of the transportation mask rules reflects the differences in coronavirus rates among communities.

“If we’re in Washington, D.C., and we’re in a green zone or a yellow zone, you can make a clear assessment,” she said. “If you’re moving from one zone to another zone and you’re picking people up from one zone to another, it’s a little bit different and that requires some consultation.”

Panagis Galiatsatos, a pulmonary doctor at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, said while the CDC might want to make a distinction between crowded transportation settings and other public places, the national guidance about masks has become increasingly complicated.

“You’re really putting a lot of emphasis on patients and people to differentiate what’s a good setting,” he said. “It’s tough for people to make a consistent conclusion.”

Galiatsatos said vaccination and masks are precautions that should remain in place until the end of the pandemic, with additional steps such as weekly testing used during surges.

Airlines began requiring customers to wear masks in mid-2020 as part of the effort to contain the spread of the virus. The Trump administration declined to put a mask mandate in place, but shortly after taking office, Biden issued an order that required mask-wearing in all transportation settings.

While numerous studies show mask-wearing can reduce the spread of the virus , the mandate has caused conflict on airplanes and in airports. Most incidents reported to the Federal Aviation Administration have been mask-related, the agency said.

Citing concerns about omircon, Biden administration moves to extend mask mandate for transportation

In 2021, the FAA received nearly 6,000 reports of unruly passenger behavior and more than 70 percent of cases were mask-related. The agency has proposed more than $1 million in fines related to disruptions that have included assaults on crew members, other passengers and violations of airline alcohol policies.

Hoping to deter bad behavior, the TSA — charged with enforcing the federal mask mandate in airports, on trains and in other transportation settings — last year doubled fines for violations to as much as $1,000 for first offenders and up to $3,000 for second offenders. The agency said in February that it has imposed nearly $400,000 in civil penalties against more than 600 mask violators.

The Transport Workers Union said it could accept health guidance rooted in science, but in a statement Thursday, it linked the mask rule to an increase in violence.

“Unruly passengers were an issue that our members dealt with before the pandemic, but we have seen this behavior dramatically increase over the past two years since mask mandates were enacted,” said Alex Garcia, the union’s international executive vice president.

Children younger than 2 and people with certain disabilities are exempt from the mask requirement.

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TSA Is Extending Its Traveler Mask Mandate Through January

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

The Transportation Security Administration confirmed Tuesday that it is extending its mask mandate for travelers using public transportation through January, drawing out a policy that was set to expire next month.

The decision comes as the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are surging in several parts of the United States, particularly in states with low vaccination rates and as the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus heightens the risk of spreading and catching the disease.

“TSA will extend the directives through Jan. 18, 2022,” a spokesperson for the agency told HuffPost. “The purpose of TSA’s mask directive is to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation.”

TSA, part of the Department of Homeland Security , regulates safety procedures across all modes of public transportation, including railways and buses, though its primary focus is airport and air travel security. Issues around mask-wearing have been a significant problem for airlines throughout the pandemic. There have been nearly 3,000 reports of mask-related incidents with unruly airline passengers so far this year, the TSA said this week.

The extended mask mandate ― which requires travelers to wear masks while in airports, airplanes and other transportation hubs ― was first put into effect by President Joe Biden ’s administration in January through an executive order. Though airlines were independently requiring masks before Biden came into office, former President Donald Trump stopped short of a TSA mask mandate and said airports and airlines were simply “strongly encouraged” to make their own mask requirements.

Biden’s original mask mandate expired in May but was extended through Sept. 13 before Tuesday’s extension into January.

Canada, meanwhile, announced last week that it’s going a step further and will require commercial passengers traveling by air, rail or large ship to be fully vaccinated in the coming months.

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