Major US Airlines to Allow Passengers Barred Over Mask Violations to Fly Again

Airline passengers without masks prepare to enter a security checkpoint at San Francisco International Airport on April 19, 2022. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Several major U.S. airlines announced plans this week to restore flight privileges to thousands of customers previously barred from flying commercial planes for breaking mask rules earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The flurry of activity comes just days after federal judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle struck down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) rule mandating masks on airplanes and other forms of public transportation.