For quite some time now, Americans have been wearing face masks on airplanes. These masks are supposedly designed to stop any possible transmission of COVID; however, there have certainly been some debates regarding the efficacy of these mask mandates.
Already, the current mask mandate for air travel has been extended into March 2022. Many Americans believe the Biden administration will find yet another reason to extend the order before it expires.
The matter of wearing face masks on planes is certainly a subject of controversy. Some people have even been booted off flights and banned from airlines entirely, due to a failure to wear face coverings.
In an interesting twist though, the CEOs for both Southwest Airlines and American Airlines are now questioning the need to have mask mandates on planes, as covered by Newsmax.
A New Take Regarding Face Masks on Planes
During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly declared there’s a very robust case that masks add little to no benefit when it comes to their efficacy in an environment that’s an air cabin.
Kelly even went as far as to say that air cabin environments rival the safety of other indoor settings. Doug Parker, the CEO of American Airlines, also backed up this train of thought.
MAJOR NEWS! American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are now questioning the use of masks on airplanes
Is the demasking beginning?
— George (@BehizyTweets) December 16, 2021
According to Parker, aircraft is one of the safest environments where individuals can be. Furthermore, the American Airlines CEO stated all airlines have identical airflow and filters.
At this time, many Americans are wondering whether or not face mask requirements will ever be lifted for air travel. As things currently stand, the Biden administration doesn’t appear like it’s going to let the mask mandate expire anytime soon.
In fact, there are even some congressional Democrats stating there should be a COVID vaccine mandate in order for people to fly on a plane, even when they’re traveling domestically.
Reactions to Statements Made During the Senate Commerce Committee Hearing
The statements shared by the CEOs of Southwest and American Airlines certainly had a lot of people talking. Some folks questioned why people need to wear face masks on these airlines in the first place, if what these CEOs are saying is true.
Both American and Southwest airlines CEOs now saying that masks don't do shit on airplanes!!??? So why you making people wear them??
— bigtzdesigns.com (@TNjhd) December 16, 2021
Democrats and others who are strong supporters of mandates criticized these CEOs, however. They sanctimoniously declared it was wrong for Kelly and Parker to question the use of face coverings when traveling by air.
Meanwhile, even prior to this week’s hearing, there have been some Republicans who called for the elimination of mask mandates on airplanes.
What do you think about the statements regarding face masks on aircraft from the CEOs of Southwest Airlines and American Airlines? We’d like to know where you stand in the comments section down below.
