The CEOs of the nation's largest airlines have sent a letter to President Biden asking that the adminstration drop the federal mask mandate on airplanes, as well as the pre-departure Covid-19 testing requirement for international travelers, saying the requirements are, quote, "no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its mass transit mask mandate by 30 days earlier this month to mid-April. The letter cited the, quote, "persistent and steady decline of hospitalization and death rates" as for why the requirements are no longer needed, and also cited the planes' air filtration systems, the country's high level of immunity due to vaccines and prior infection, and the CDC's most recent guidance that 99 percent of the population now are in areas where masks are no longer needed indoors. As for the pre-testing requirement for international travelers, they argued it's ineffective, and noted, "The United Kingdom, the European Union and Canada have recognized this reality and lifted travel restrictions. The U.S. inconsistency . . . creates a competitive disadvantage for U.S. travel and tourism[.
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