Airline and airport employees praise a new rule authorizing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to fine passengers who do not want to wear masks.
Trade unions and airport administrators have been calling on the federal government for months to draw up nationwide health policies for air travel.
‘Our union has been advocating for a federal aviation mask man for almost a year. A federal mandate with public messages and clear enforcement mechanisms for federal agencies such as the TSA will greatly help keep everyone safe, “said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents nearly 50,000 employees at 17 airlines. a statement said.Monday.
A spokesman for the Service Employees International Union, which counts tens of thousands of airport staff among its members, called the mandate a “good first step”, adding that workers needed more help with training, staff and personal protective equipment.
The TSA rule, which takes effect on Tuesday and will remain active until May 11, stems from a new order for disease control and prevention centers (CDC) carrying machines at transportation centers.
An executive order by President Biden on his first full day in office has ordered federal agencies to “take immediate action” to oblige the use of masks in airports, trains, bus services and ferries.
The TSA can now require travelers to wear masks, refuse entry or boarding a passenger who refuses to wear one and hit passengers with a civil fine if they refuse to comply.
A TSA spokesman told The Hill: ‘The decision on the amount of the fine is not final and the primary purpose is to comply voluntarily. ‘
Although many airlines have introduced company policies that require masks for passengers, experts believe the new rules mean employees can now point to TSA policy instead of having to defend a corporate policy.
“Those who apply it will more easily tell them it’s a federal mandate,” said Mahmood Khan, a professor of hospitality and tourism management at Virginia Tech University. ‘If they are challenged, they can say it comes from TSA or Homeland Security, so they do not have to justify. This will help them. ”
Air travel, devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, could get a boost with these new safety protocols.
Airlines for America (A4A), which represents major U.S. airlines, said in a statement on Monday that it appreciated Biden’s decision to establish a face-to-face mandate and that “this measure will help reduce our flight crew’s ability to enforce, strengthen face-covering requirements. “
The statement showed a decisively different tone than during the summer, when the trade group did not endorse a bill introduced by House Democrats that requires masks at all airports and in all aircraft.
The Airports Council International-North America, which is campaigning for airports, supports the measure, while A4A criticizes it.
“While US airlines strongly support and apply the mask requirements during the travel experience, we are really concerned about the number of mandates the bill wants to impose on our businesses,” A4A said in a statement at the time.
‘The reality is that they never want the government to do things about their business. They want to stay smart, less regulatory, ”said Eduardo Angeles, managing director and senior lawyer at the law firm Clark Hill, with regard to airlines.
Major U.S. airlines have required masks on flights, and passengers are regularly placed on non-flight lists if they refuse to comply. However, airports were largely kept under local and local regulations, which hindered a nationwide standard.
Angeles stressed that TSA enforcement is a way to help the airline and airport uniformity in regulations.
“The TSA that comes out and says we’re going to apply it, on behalf of the federal government, is useful,” said Angeles, who served under former President Obama at the Federal Aviation Administration. “To now basically have the arm of the federal government for enforcement is a step in the right direction.”
The airline industry was hit hardest during the pandemic. Air travel has declined significantly, prompting the federal government to provide financial assistance to the industry.
The TSA on Sunday screened more than 859,000 people at airport checkpoints, less than half of the nearly 1.95 passengers screened a year ago.
Experts believe that the mask mandate could help boost customer confidence and help the industry as it recovers from the resonance of the coronavirus.
“It will bring more confidence in the service providers,” Khan said. “When it comes to government, it makes a difference.”
Angeles noted that the obligation of masks is a great way to bridge the gap to the ‘silver bullet’ of the widespread vaccine distribution.
Compulsory masks are going in the right direction. We have been talking about it since March 2020, ”he said.