Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on Tuesday suggested that it will continue to force individuals to wear masks — a move which would effectively ignore the ruling from a federal judge who on Monday deemed President Biden’s federal mask mandate illegal.
“The safety and security of passengers and employees is the highest priority for the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA),” the airport said in a relatively unclear statement Tuesday afternoon.
“The CDA will continue to follow, observe and enforce all guidance by federal, state and local health and security authorities. This includes Illinois Executive Order 2022-06, which requires masks on public transportation and in transportation hubs,” it added:
— O'Hare Intl. Airport (@fly2ohare) April 19, 2022
That particular order requires all individuals to wear a face covering “where federally required; (2) on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation and in transportation hubs such as airports and train and bus stations.” However, due to the federal judge’s ruling, the federal mask rule is no longer in effect.
O’Hare’s announcement follows the ruling from United States District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, a Trump appointee, who on Monday deemed the Biden administration’s federal mask mandate illegal.
“But the mandate exceeded the CDC statutory authority, improperly invoked the good cause exception to notice and comment rulemaking, and failed to adequately explain its decisions,” she wrote in part, adding, “Because our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in the pursuit of desirable ends, the court declares unlawful and vacates the mask mandate.”
As a result, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will not enforce the rule, a Biden administration official confirmed Monday. Shortly after, several major airlines announced that masks are now optional on their flights.
Southwest Airlines, for example, said in a statement that both employees and customers “will be able to choose whether they would like to wear a mask on flights, at domestic airports, and at some international locations,” as others released similar statements:
Read the guidance @Delta shared with employees regarding the White House announcement on the federal mask mandate: https://t.co/vWNjlT2Vgs
— Delta News Hub (@DeltaNewsHub) April 18, 2022
"To mask or not to mask, the choice is yours. Masks are now optional on domestic flights, however, certain airports or countries may still require masks, so check the policy at your destination prior to departure and we'll see you in the sky."
– Crockett the Raccoon pic.twitter.com/LgcZrASy2y
— Frontier Airlines (@FlyFrontier) April 19, 2022
✈️TRAVEL UPDATE✈️
Effective immediately, face masks are optional for our guests and employees onboard Hawaiian Airlines flights. We ask for our guests’ patience and understanding as we update all our communications and announcements to reflect this change. pic.twitter.com/wVSvOmETZE— Hawaiian Airlines (@HawaiianAir) April 19, 2022
In line with Monday’s federal court ruling and the TSA’s guidance, mask wearing will now be optional on JetBlue within the U.S. While no longer required, customers and crewmembers may continue wearing masks in our terminals and on board our aircraft. More: https://t.co/QmyTfePZMo pic.twitter.com/ZtKngrHQrN
— JetBlue (@JetBlue) April 19, 2022
Masks are no longer required on domestic flights, select international flights (dependent upon the arrival country's requirements) or at U.S. airports. More comfortable keeping yours on? Go right ahead… the choice is yours (you look dino-mite either way)! pic.twitter.com/hwq678v55d
— United Airlines (@united) April 18, 2022
Face masks will no longer be required for our customers and team members at U.S. airports and on domestic flights (though there may be some exceptions based on local or country requirements). https://t.co/GT1lZq5TAf
— americanair (@AmericanAir) April 19, 2022
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.