President Joe Biden signed an executive order Thursday mandating face masks for passengers during interstate airplane, train and bus travel and in airports, hoping to strengthen airline rules already in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among passengers.
The mask mandate came among a slew of executive actions in the first days of the new administration, which also included a testing and quarantine requirement for individuals flying into the United States from a foreign country.
The orders give broad authority to regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation, to enforce the actions. But the orders don’t outline actual penalties or details about the travel restrictions.
Airlines have had rules in place since May, but have struggled with unruly passengers taking masks off once on board. Ensuing conflicts with flight crews or other passengers became increasingly political.
“While we increase vaccinations, we are going to take steps necessary now to slow the spread of the disease as well,” said Biden before signing the order. “The mask has become a partisan issue, unfortunately, but it’s a patriotic act.”
Delta Air Lines has already placed temporary bans on more than 600 passengers and Alaska Airlines has banned more than 300. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines and Fort Worth-based American have banned passengers, but have declined to say how many.
Airline employee unions have been pushing for a federal order to enforce company face mask mandates since early in the pandemic, but lately flight attendants and pilot groups say that they have encountered a growing number of combative and confrontational passengers.
“As passengers travel on different airlines and through various airports, they deserve to have clear expectations on what the rules are,” said a statement from Association of Professional Flight Attendants President Julie Hedrik, who represents American Airlines flight attendants.
Last week, an American Airlines passenger flying from Washington, D.C., to Charlotte was reportedly escorted off a flight after refusing to wear a face mask and yelling about tyranny, according to Charlotte NBC affiliate WCNC.
A cry for federal help has been growing since outbursts aboard planes following the storming of the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump supporters on Jan. 6 trying to disrupt the certification of November’s presidential election.
On Jan. 13, FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson said he would order stricter enforcement of rules against unruly passengers, even though the agency had been reluctant to step in with face mask and social distancing mandates in the past.
“Recently, we’ve seen a disturbing increase in incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior,” Dickson said in a video statement. “These incidents have stemmed both from passengers’ refusals to wear masks and from recent violence at the U.S. Capitol.”
The FAA made the order under existing rules against disrupting an airline flight and crew members, a violation that could include jail time and a fine of up to $35,000.
Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, said last week that “federal mandates make a difference.”
“If you have to make it based on company policy, it doesn’t carry the same weight,” he said.
For the travel restrictions, the executive orders refer to Centers for Disease Control-recommended “periods of self-quarantine or self-isolation after a flight to the United States from a foreign country.” Language on the CDC’s website says people should isolate for 14 days after potential exposure to COVID-19.
