If you were hoping to ditch that mask onboard your flight in January, think again. The federal government is reportedly planning to extend the federal mask mandate through March 18, 2022, representing an additional two-month extension.
Report – Federal Mask Mandate Extended To At Least March 18, 2022
The current federal mask mandate, which requires masks to be worn at airports and train stations and on airplanes, trains, and buses was first set to expire on September 13, 2021. But with the delta variant a growing concern in many parts of the United States, the mandate was extended to January 18, 2022. Now with the omicron variant a concern, the mandate will be extended till March 18, 2022.
Reuters, which broke the story, does not name its source, but when the mandate was extended the first time, airlines were informed of the extension on a call which included officials from the:
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
At the time, Marty Cetron, the CDC official who signed the mask mandate, noted:
“Masks are really powerful and we should make sure they’re part of our arsenal. The truth is that the unvaccinated portion that’s out there is extremely vulnerable.”
Masks have become a political flashpoint, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) attributing the majority of bad behavior onboard airlines this year to mask compliance. Republicans in Congress have proposed a bill that would ban the federal government from requiring masks on public transport, including airplanes.
Thus far, both government officials and airlines have refused to comment on the rumored extension.
CONCLUSION
The federal mask mandate, originally set to expire on January 18th, will reportedly be extended through at least March 18th. The extension will likely contribute to more bad behavior in the skies and be formally announced later today.
image: American Airlines
Mandate proof of vaccination would do far more than a mask mandate. The data is clear on that
But the government is too chicken to require vaccinations in order to travel
Think The South would try for Civil War Part 2, they have been itching for a while
(even as such mandates are broadly popular in the US)
UA, the rich guy who is worth more than he could ever spend talks about “moral duty”. Yet he doesn’t give it all away and live a normal life. But this jackass wants to tell us our moral duty is.
Guys like him are why Antifa is so dangerous. They don’t respect others opinions. Clown probably makes Andy Ostroy seem normal.
Don’t know who you are and where you came from (nor do I care) – but seriously, piss off
Someone calls out to your bullying and you get upset. Like all bullies you are just a little man with few friends. You think your money makes you special when really other see you for the pathetic little man you really are. I serious feel for you and anyone in your life. There is help out there if you look for it. I truly hope you make the hard decision to make a change in your life. And don’t take your anger from waking up today and heading right to this site on anyone today. Have a Great Day UA!
@UA-NYC
“(even as such mandates are broadly popular in the US)” – agreed, in all those fantastic American states like New York, California, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, etc – all those places that have very low transmission rates and very few cases.
What a jackass.
“(even as such mandates are broadly popular in the US)” Tell that to the courts that are halting the vaccine mandate.
Why?!?! Masks don’t work and vaccinated people are catching and spreading the virus anyways. The virus is over 99% survivable. This is all about control and you are just regurgitating what the MSM tells you.
Truly ignorant…go back to Parler and spread your nonsense there
You do understanding vaccination rates in South Bronx are on par with any of the Southern states you love to demonize? It’s poverty not geography or politics that drives health outcomes in the US. Was true pre-pandemic for cancer screening rates, smoking, obesity, ect. Why should we assume over time COVID is any different? You are the very example of well-off fool that loves to lecture others on their failings while contributing nothing to collective well being. Tell people to piss off all you want but they will still be correct to view you as a clown worthy of contempt and a target of genuine anger. Good luck out their and sleep tight. Oh yeah, UA sucks
This blog has become an extension of MSM propaganda. I come here less and less and when I do it’s just to see what far left talking points that are being regurgitated today. Sheep being led to slaughter.
Not sure how reporting on the news without expressing an opinion constitutes propaganda. Explain?
You constantly promote your opinion about vaccines and masks in your articles tho
I hate masks, but I tolerate them and follow the mandate. I am a proponent of vaccinations because every study I’ve looked at suggests they are highly effective (not foolproof). In fact, they are such a limited risk compared to contracting COVID-19 that it strikes me as a non-brainer. I know too many people who told me, “I’m young and healthy” only to get a bad case of corona. It is a clear cost-benefit analysis for me and while I would not force anyone to get one, I believe a company can condition employment on it precisely because we don’t each live in a vacuum but instead in an inner-connected world in which human interaction is constantly required.
We call this brainwashed. My best friends brother has been practicing neurology in Tampa for 40+ years. He has many international patients. He is seeing extremely severe and awful vaccine side effects. But please, keep reading your bought and paid for $cience studies, and we’ll keep living in the real world.
“Best friend’s brother” … please. You probably think the election was stolen as well.
I’ve got news for you – the government is not competent enough to cover up either conspiracy!
I’m growing tired of selfish, unpatriotic, deluded people who live in their own dangerous echo chamber. Wake up, Acura. Reality is not as you see it.
Do you need his office phone number to call him directly? I’m already awake. You’re the one asleep and in your ego with your Leo self. Please. we know how you are by now. we see you are just a puppet of the left and probably cashing those checks from them, too. We aren’t dumb. We’re just light years ahead of you.
the Nazi’s in Germany were able to do it with way less technological advances. so it’s sincerely laughable that you think world leaders are not competent enough and don’t enough power to make this happen. they do have the power. the great reset is NOT a conspiracy. maybe you should read the book called “The Great Reset” by Klaus Schwab, head of the World Economic Forum. Or no? you dont read? No problem. We’ll just make a note that you support segregation. We now know clearly who you would have stood with in WWII: the Nazi’s. Guess you’re not a jew. perhaps you might want to go back and look at that time period. Jews were demonized and segregated as carriers of disease.
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/vaccine-mandates-segregation-discrimination-black-americans/
Ok Godwin, we’ll just let the Rothschilds and Illuminati run the world, fake moon landings, assassinate Kennedys, and control demo towers in New York City.
All of those things can be discussed, but we already know you’re cashing checks from them anyway promoting the great reset like a good sheep. That’s fine. the bottom line is that you, the government, and the states DO NOT have the authority to impose your rules on us, even if you think it’s for the greater good. Go study Civics 101 please. thanks.
You are part of the COVID cult and you need rehab.
Matt. You like to hear yourself talk huh. Ignorant human.
You are battling the collectivist mindset instilled in this generation without their knowledge. They can’t even see it and even if they could have no frame of reference for comparing it.
Some call it patriotism…
I thought I was the only one who recognized this. But they aren’t going to do a legit count of how many vaccinated people contract and spread it. Same as they aren’t tracking the number of people who contract and survive it, (
ever wonder why that is folks? )but they will sure throw numbers up about how many unvaccinated has contracted it daily and how many has died from it to scare everyone. Why oh why do they call vaccinated people who contract it “breakthrough” cases, like it’s managed to get through some unseen armour or forcefield? They kill me how they have led people to believe that just because you’ve been vaccinated you won’t contract the virus and possibly die from it. What’s more amazing than that, is the amount of people who actually believe it! Take the shot and still wear a mask, because you are no more protected than someone who hasn’t had it. As a matter of fact you are more at risk for some other horrible ailments such as enlarged heart( which they say is temporary, but we don’t know the long term effects of it’s occurrence) numbness and loss of use of limbs, as well as liver and kidneys failure or death…just to name a few. No one knows if the vaccines are saving lives or if the vaccinated would have survived should they opted no to take the shot. There is really no legit way to prove it. We just go by the data that they explain to us. Data that could have been swayed to get the end results they wanted to fit their agenda. No one knows what the long term effects are of putting something in your body that was rushed to market without long term testing. In fact all the vaccinated are essentially guinea pigs. We are only finding out about some of the side effects as the population mindlessly line up to put this foreign substance into their bodies. Also rest assured they are only telling us about the symptoms they want us to know about because they control news outlets. If they are so concerned about the human population as the virus starts to spread again, why are they allowing everything to open back and children to return to schools like the virus isn’t resurging. Because they are really concerned about politics, power and money, which is another reason they are pushing the vaccines.
Amen Scratching, amen. There is no information out there saying the vaccinated like myself are not spreading it. Because the vaccine appears to be working in reducing or hiding the symptoms we have no clue who has it. Why would I or anyone else go get tested unless they are seriously sick? Sports figures and others required to get tested are testing positive. They have no symptoms but only find out because of the tests. Can anyone say they didn’t spread it? By now everyone knows the pros and cons of getting the vaccine and it’s still their choice. But you still have pompous jackasses like UA saying everyone must get it and you are killing others if you don’t. Why this clown is out and about flying first class firing employees with no clue if he is spreading Covid or not. One of the biggest positives that has come out of Covid is that it exposed far left dangerous fanatics like UA-NYC who think they know what’s best for everyone but themselves.
Seriously, check yourself – don’t know where the F you came from, apparently brand new to this blog and have nothing to say actually travel-related (just like all the right-wing conspiracy theorists/racists who somehow keep showing up here). You know nothing about me…so seriously piss off
While the federal government almost certainly has the Constitutional authority to do that, I don’t think it’s ever been attempted yet so it would likely be tied up in the courts for well after (hopefully) such restrictions wouldn’t be needed anymore.
I think another big holdup with federal mask mandates that go beyond federal employees and the military is that we have not spent the time and money to develop a functioning, verifiable database of COVID vaccinations like they have in New York State or France. The logistics/effectiveness of a national vaccine mandate would be more complicated without one.
November 2022 cannot come soon enough.
Sadly, nothing will change in November 2022 if you don’t fix what happened November 2020
The Uni-Party in DC will not concede control back to the people.
The puppet in the basement will continue to f..k things up so badly that by that time he will have no credibility at all. Covid, mask mandates for vaccinated people, southern border mess, Afghanistan disaster, inflation through the roof, gas at $5/gallon, etc…. He better hide at Camp David forever.
Dont count your chickens yet, the Supreme Court looks like they are going to give a huge gift to Democrat candidates. Timing for decision sounds to be spring/summer, just as campaign season is heating up too.
Turn the news off you sheeple. The masks aren’t protecting you. The vaccine you championed doesn’t keep you from catching it OR spreading it. Useless to mandate that for air travel. You all are so freaking terrified that it’s turned your brains to media-influenced mush.
James is incorrect. Masks help, particularly well constructed and well fitting masks. So do vaccines. The Covid vaccine does reduce the chance of infection as well was reduce the severity of infection such that you may survive.
I don’t see any proof that masks work. Where’s the “science?” Trick question, there is none!
Not to be crude, but:
Matthew: if you compare urine with spit that is Ok. Wearing a mask bought at Etsy to avoid a virus to go through is the same as keeping a mosquito behind jail bars. Also, the conversation is not about effectiveness of masks but that if you are vaccinated you should be protected EVEN if you get the virus so why impose masks for vaccinated people.
I think tax cuts, stimulus checks, and masks should all be conditioned on the vaccine…I also agree that cloth masks are ineffective theatre, which is why I’ve switched to N95. But I will note that vaccines are great (so, so great), but not foolproof. Whether additional layers of protection (mask) are necessary is another question altogether. I thought the stat I mentioned yesterday was important – there will statistically still be hundreds of thousands of breakthrough cases (after all, over 170 million Americans have been vaccinated). That doesn’t make the vaccine ineffective, but it does mean additional precautions (while keeping all business open) may be prudent.
Wandering what the long term effects of wearing a snot rag on your face all day will be? Throwing snot on a n95 and letting bacteria form from the outside air hitting it from inside and breathing that all day. Common since says that is not healthy. Guess if you change it every 15 minutes that would work. Good business for mask makers. Your snot was meant to be absorbed into the air without restriction.
You are a nobody.
Um, only if you choose to disregard the data, No science? Only if you’re holding hands over your eyes and ears and yelling “na na na, I can’t hear you!”
Tons of info if you actually want to look for it. Unless every time you find something that you don’t like you claim some conspiracy theory fabricating data.
So my favorite recent one (only one of many data points) is from the state of Missouri- the (very!) Republican governor asked for a report comparing covid rates and deaths in areas that had mask mandates vs those that did not, which actually showed a decrease in covid rates in mask mandate area. Report got buried, because he didn’t like what it said- the state’s Sunshine law (open records law) had to be used to make it public.
That sounds like more of a conspiracy than anything you’ve given actual verifiable proof for….
https://www.kmov.com/news/missouri-health-department-withheld-report-showing-mask-mandates-work-from-public-unearthed-emails-show/article_4c3de5e8-5366-11ec-bf82-273b21b04da9.html
And no, a single retrospective comparison does not give ironclad proof, but you have plenty of other studies as well demonstrating a real but small decrease in transmission rate. That’s not an unknown at this point.
That said, if one wants to argue as to if the decrease (or slowing) of transmission due to mask use is indicated or should translate into policy- that’s a different story. When is mask compulsion indicated? At what rate of community transmission or serious illness rate/ death rate in the community/ Probably not zero (that seems impossible). That is where I think you can reasonably debate.
Better than dying because my brain has turned into Trump/GOO-influenced mush.
The 95% of the hospitalized patients right now who are unvaccinated (and the 99% of recent deaths also unvaccinated) would beg to differ with you…chump
The points you try to make get lost in your never ending name calling.
Actually it’s fun calling the miserable old bastard out. Can you imagine how the people that know him feel about him? I’m sure he is the life of the party while his own family is just waiting for him to pass. Must suck to know you worked so hard your entire life for people to wish you were gone.
Let me ask you oh enlightened one, who are the folks in the New York metropolitan area NOT getting vaccinated??? They are stupid and ignorant then, right??
Guess which state (unlike FL or TX) doesn’t full hospital beds + spiking cases right now?
We did New York State have about 14,000 more COVID deaths than New York State?? Both states have similar populations. Too bad Il Duce Junior did such a lousy jobs killing off all those old people!! Great decision forcing them back into nursing homes after they tested positive.
You b probably live in a lily white enclave either in your moms basement or a tent controlled apartment. You probably think DeBlasio is doing a great job and his dopey wife is a genius.
Tell me what demographic in the tristate area has the largest NON vaccinated rate. Call them ignorant and stupid.
Should read why did New York State have about 14,000 more deaths than Florida. Was hurrying to catch a flight!!
You DO realize Covid hit the US in force first in NY when nothing was really known about it – right? SMFH.
Love UA getting destroyed here.
Citing outdated and unsourced “facts” is kinda of pointless. Seriously, you are simply the biggest turd in world with precisely zero capacity to make any positive contribution. Keep telling yourself your triple vaccinated status makes you special. There is precisely nothing in being a total world leading d-bag that helps US improve upon awful collective failure to protect its own population. Be part of answer or piss off. And UA still sucks.
I am derek, not Derek. Hello to Derek, who writes a comment.
This is not surprising given that President Biden, as VP, told people to stay away from trains and planes when there was a threatened epidemic in 2009 that never developed.
Good masks work. Finnair and Lufthansa require surgical masks or N95 masks. That is an effective policy. The US mask mandate allows flimsy cloth masks and even bandanas, which makes the policy somewhere between completely ineffective/theater and effective.
Agree with everything you said. Never seen a surgeon wearing a mask bought at Etsy with an NFL team logo on it. Why? Because it doesn’t work. Now, my problem is that we were told to get vaccinated. The ones who did should be allowed to live their lives. No f…ing masks. The unvaccinated morons are the ones that should protect themselves. What this moronic Government doesn’t understand is that Covid will never be extinct. The only virus ever extinguished has been small pox. Every other virus is still out there. Every year someone in the world will die from it. Why we don’t hear much about it? Because there are vaccines. So, let vaccinated people live their lives, it is proven that 99% of people now in hospitals are unvaccinated so stop with the panic.
Both are wise. That and not going to a restaurant unless there’s a good reason.
Vaccine=jet fighters and bombers (air force)
Masks=tanks
Social distancing=land mines
Reducing unnecessary contact=CIA
A war is best with all of these but you could argue that an air force is the single best weapon and that if you had to choose only one, an air force is the best choice. In my personal fight against Covid-19, I am using all of these.
One thing that everyone forgets is the original mask mandate was put in place not because the mask protects you from breathing the virus, but because it prevents much of your exhaling the virus from getting out where someone else is breathing. That’s why the cloth masks still do their part.
If everyone who’s infected wears a mask (cloth or KN95), that severely cuts down the rate of transmission. But both infected and non-infected need to wear because you can spread the virus before you know you’re infected.
Let’s say you are correct. Then, can we agree that mask wearers are more common in highly vaccinated states and less common in the least vaccinated states? I think so.
So then, how is this explained?
Both are headlines from Newsweek in the past week.
1) COVID Cases Are Falling in the Five Least Vaccinated States
2) COVID Cases Are Surging in the Five Most Vaccinated States
it’s ALL theater. Time to take the mask off and move on.
I guess Biden’s been throwing them Afghani interpreters off of the planes in Kabul because they forgot to bring their masks. Sucks for them, but a mandate is a mandate. And more seriously, the more inept and incompetent our foreign policy and entire government becomes, the more tyrannical it will become at home.
That we require masks of kids who can’t properly breathe through them is a serious child abuse, and is unbelievably infuriating.
This is all thanks to Sleepy Joe’s failed leadership.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1427709163992408070
Southwest is gonna need a lot more glue sticks…
Thanks a lot creepy, sleepy sloppy Joe and da ho!!!
I love the helpless, futile cries of former trump’s loser followers. I wonder how long before they start having “re-enactments” of their failures to pass on their loser ways to their intellectually-disadvantaged children.
How is my 1 year old never washed mask supposed to keep me and you from getting sick. This thing is disgusting but no flight attendant nazi has said anything. Masks are a petri dish on the face but ok dr fraudi.
Yet another attempt by officials to brainwash us into thinking the scrap of paper on our faces does something. You can’t filter out viral particles unless you have a fitted N-95. The truth is that if you want to travel, you assume the risk of exposure. The data we have shows that masks do not, in fact, help. This is easily demonstrated by the winter spike which occurred while we all wore masks in public. As we have been told ad nauseum, “Follow the science.” There is a point at which it is no longer about promoting public safety and more about control and harassment.
The vaccine cult is full of beta males afraid of their own shadow.
Once upon a time this was a pleasant travel blog.
Not surprised nor shocked, not gonna pretend to have an internet outrage on this.
Masks will be required until Jan 20, 2025
Well I for one am excited about this. Premium and business travel (the kind that actually generates profits) will not return until the mask mandate goes away. Every carrier knows it – most will admit it when pressed – yet for political/PR reasons they cannot lobby against it. An extension of the mandate means that status extensions and mileage rollovers will be forthcoming. When they announced the extension in August, it took between 2 days and 2 weeks for all the carriers to make their announcements. Given that we are in December now, I won’t expect to see the extensions announced so quickly this time, but I’m sure they are coming.
I’m vaxxed, boosted, and masked, so I will gladly take advantage of the situation. This year I hit DL Diamond (first time ever) with less MQMs than it takes to hit Gold in a normal year.
I do have a serious concern though, and that is with silent resentment. Sure, the anti-mask idiots that act like animals and fight with FAs get a lot of attention, but they are few and far between. I’m more worried about the people who follow the rules but seethe about them – and I know quite a few of them. I assume most (at least those I know) have done their part, gotten vaccinated, and are still contending with these mandates and all the issues they cause. These are the people that are changing their political opinions now, and I think it will pose big issues next year and beyond. Maybe masks help and maybe they don’t; I don’t know and I don’t really care since they don’t bother me. I do believe that there are a great many people who hate them passionately, they just don’t throw tantrums in public over it. So even though I will personally benefit from this, I am worried that the government’s push to “DO SOMETHING” will cause far more damage in the long run if enough people retaliate at the ballot box.
I hope you’re right. Our company is at ~20% of pre-covid travel, even though we’ve been “allowed” to travel for almost a year. Nobody wants to because of the masks and the shitty service in 1st. I primarily fly AA which at least serves meals now…if you want to call them that…but it’s such a PIA that I won’t fly unless I have to. We were supposed to have a convention in Germany this summer, but only 9 out of 40+ people signed up to go, and most said the flight would be too awful and uncomfortable. I’m Platinum Pro now, so I hope AA extends again or I won’t even hit gold.
All this is stupid. After seeing first hand, the millions of unvaccinated illegal aliens crossing into Texas and Arizona, no one can take any of this seriously.
Everything is disingenuous, if the government really believed all this, 2 million unvaxxed illegals would either be vaccinated upon arrival or denied entry. Nothing else past this point is relevant.
Breaking
The Brandon administration set to enact changes to existing mask mandates. Changes include the requirement for Mask vendors to start creating masks that have the scent of womens and girls hair and would be available in designer fragrances like Herbal Essence and Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. Other masks will be banned by Fiat.
Let’s Go Brandon!!!! How will anyone be able to get tested within 24 hours of a flight and have the results ready for check in in any developing country? Brandon thinks the world has CVS and Walgreens everywhere.
Sratching my head,Dave Edwards,Santastico= You all get it… Masks on till March 18th now =2 years of it by then crazy,, Thanks to the Mail in Voters who voted for a GUY in His Basement..so nuts… electing a guy who cannot even carry on a 30 second conversation… causing all of us to suffer via Hundreds of thousands of illegals entering our country without needing masks,testing or Vaxxing!!! and then there are the Bring Back Bad Taxes and more TAXES along with 6.2% inflation and rising..thanks all DNC voters for Demented Joe and Comma-La
Idiot Trumptard, morbidly obese internet tough guys just love to spew their medical disinformation on the inter webs. Americas level of idiocy is at an all time high. The war on expertise by the redneck rugged individualist, freedumb crowd will land you on a ventilator in your local ICU. Listen to the experts rather than the tin foil hat crowd or suffer the consequences. Good luck. Social Darwinism is in full effect. Grab ya popcorn!
It’s been almost two years of this bs. when’s sh!t going down?? 2023?? 2024? either way your popcorn is old and stale.
@MARV. Can we at least agree Fauci is a clown? I am Science? Seriously, he is a joke that flips his message on political narrative of his handlers. He has not done real research in 40 years. He was consistently wrong on HIV research from early 90s onward. He and Trump were perfect pairing of utter incompetence. You are shouting at retards. Good luck with that. Replacing Fauci with actual scientists would safe lives. It is one topic that should bring Americans together. Don’t be UA NYC. You (everybody) is better than that.
Wish it were so that our “elite” government bureaucrats were experts at anything, but unfortunately they are all politically motivated covitards.
@UA-NYC. UA is a mediocre airline. You are a pathetic human. NYC is the most overrated city in world. Restaurants suck.
Matthew, can you please not carry comments forward like this? Thought someone was intimidating me for a second and realized it was the old angry me. Horrifying to see how I was acting back then. Apologies..
however, was telling the truth about neurologist in Tampa
I disagree with everything you have said concerning your opinion/s regarding mandates. I am pro vaccine however, I am anti mandate. I do not want a master Mr. Klint. I do not want other people making arbitrary decisions for me. Other peoples health is not my problem. There are already enough laws and so many that we all can not go one day without breaking one at the very least. I do not want to be your master and in return I would ask that you do not try to be mine.
If I could rip up any SCOTUS case it would be McCulloch vs Maryland. Why? Because for far to long the US Federal Government has abused necessary and proper. It was never meant to be utilized as a way to ram through morally questionable, nor Un-Constitutional laws and regulations. Thank you for your time.
-Tony
I am also against vaccine mandates…but other peoples’ health is your problem when we have to share space and limited resources.
I will respectfully have to disagree with you 100%. Good speaking with you.
Masks on planes are and have been useless since the beginning … There is ZERO data on mask effectiveness son planes. ZERO folks. The ban should be lifted on 3/18/22 if not sooner. If you are seriously concerned about covid on airplanes: 1. Heppa filtration 2. Air is cycled out of the airplane every 2-4 minutes depending on aircraft size … 3. There is no data to support masking on airplanes. 4. There have been ZERO reports of outbreaks due to people flying. asks offer zero to minimal protection if any in a non-clinical environment folks (AKA the real world.) I continue to fly about once a month since march 2020 without any problems …
Randomized controlled trials (RCT) are the only type of study that can show causation (vs possible correlation for observational studies) and are therefore the only type of study considered actual evidence. Every single RCT finds masks to have no effect on a respiratory virus.
A systematic review and meta-analysis is combining then analyzing all studies on a particular subject and is by far the best evidence we have. Here is a Cochrane systematic review & meta-analysis on masks. Note that they only consider RCTs and no observational studies because those cannot show anything, just give an idea for further study.
Their certainty system is on a linear scale that something does or does not work and goes from none in the middle with no evidence either way. Then very low (little evidence but leans one way), low (some evidence leaning one way), moderate (significant amount of evidence one way), and high (conclusive).
They find with moderate certainty that masks no effect on a respiratory virus.
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub5/full