Airlines support Biden’s face covering mandate

Airlines for America announced support for President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to require masks for air passengers, encouraging him to apply the mandate to airports and other public transportation while building on the airline’s current efforts. Among other layers of protection, US airlines have been requiring face coverings since April 2020. In a letter, the organization asked Biden to “allow air carriers to maintain their existing policies and practices which are aimed at de-escalating conflict in-flight and allowing the aircraft to continue while providing a consequential enforcement backstop on the ground.”