Here’s what no more mask mandate means for Charlotte airport
Travelers with American Airlines or at Charlotte Douglas International Airport will no longer be required to wear masks.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Most major airlines, including Charlotte Douglas International Airport’s main carrier, American Airlines, have stopped requiring masks on US flights.
The protocol change comes after a Florida judge overturned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mask requirement for public transportation on Monday. And the Transportation Security Administration will no longer enforce the requirement, the federal agency announced following the decision.
American Airlines – the dominant carrier at CLT – will no longer require customers to wear face masks on domestic flights or at US airports.
But the airline stressed in a statement Monday evening that travelers should be aware that masks may be required depending on local rules or when traveling internationally depending on country requirements.
American has required customers to wear masks on flights since May 11, 2020, the Observer previously reported.
Later in 2020, the airline announces that passengers who do not comply with the mask requirement could be blacklisted from future flights.
Unruly passengers and masks
Over the past two years, the FAA has announced a dramatic increase in reports of unruly passengers on flights. And many of those unruly incidents revolved around complaints about the mask requirement, according to the agency.
So far this year, the FAA has received 1,150 reports of unruly passengers. Of those incidents, 744 were related to face masks, according to the FAA.