Delta Air Lines to Allow Passengers Banned for Mask Violations to Fly Again

Delta Air Lines announced plans to restore flight privileges to around 2,000 travelers who were banned by the carrier for failing to follow mandatory mask protocols.

According to Reuters.com, officials from the Atlanta-based airline said each passenger’s right to fly would be restored “only after each case is reviewed and each customer demonstrates an understanding of their expected behavior when flying with us.”

The Delta spokesperson also told Reuters that “any further disregard for the policies that keep us all safe will result in placement on Delta’s permanent no-fly list.” The carrier revealed the change would not impact over 1,000 people “who demonstrated egregious behavior and are already on the permanent no-fly list.”

On Tuesday, United Airlines announced it would allow some of the estimated 1,000 people who were banned for not wearing masks to return to flights on a “case by case basis.”

The United States Department of Justice announced Wednesday it would appeal a federal judge’s decision to void the public transportation mask mandate after officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found the restrictions are still necessary to keep travelers safe.

The CDC recently extended the nationwide mask requirements for public transportation through May 3, but the decision was voided when U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle said the agency “improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking.”

In response to the court ruling, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it would no longer enforce the mask mandate on public transportation. Airlines also quickly dropped the mask mandate.