The news about the Justice Department appealing the April 2021 court decision that the CDC did not have the power to enforce a travel mask mandate on Tuesday has been met with differing views across the travel industry.

The federal travel mask mandate was set in place by the CDC in January 2021 during the beginning days of the Biden administration after having been disallowed from doing so by the former Trump administration, though airlines had been under their own mask mandates for longer. The federal mandate lasted only a few months before being struck down by a judge in Florida who ruled that the CDC did not have the authority to have the travel mask mandate in place.

It should be noted that the reversal of such a ruling does not mean that the government would once again enforce the travel mask mandate immediately, but that it would once again retain the lawful authority to do so. It should also be noted that some airlines continue to enforce mask wearing by their own authority and all airlines maintain the authority to do so.

Travel industry leaders and travel advisors all weighed in on the appeal. Some were adamantly against the appeal and the possibility of going back to a federal travel mask mandate, while many travel advisors said they would support a return to one if it was deemed necessary to protect people and to keep travel open.

While no airlines have commented publicly on this topic yet, Hannah Walden, Manager of Communications at Airlines for America issued an exclusive statement when contacted by TravelPulse about the appeal:

“The safety and wellbeing of the traveling public and employees is the top priority of U.S. airlines, and we continuously rely on science and data to guide decisions. More than 2 million people each day are choosing to fly as our industry relaunches. Science has routinely demonstrated that the air on an airplane is as clean as – if not cleaner than – restaurants, grocery stores and even some hospitals.”

Many travel advisors seem in favor of the travel mask mandate, and are willing to support it as long as travel remains open.

“As an avid ‘mask-wearer’ I may be a bit biased, but I do believe that the CDC should be able to put travel mask mandates in place, if necessary. I completely understand individual rights, but when it comes to the safety of all, I feel that mandates of this magnitude protect the masses…” said SaKeysha Williams, Romance & Luxury Travel Specialist, Key Occasions. “Precautions should certainly be in place, especially for areas with an increased rate of the virus, to help maintain public health and the tourism industry. None of us want to see everything shut down as it did in 2020.”