A federal judge in Florida declared that an extension of the US mask mandate for flights and train services was unlawful on Monday (18 April), leading to many airlines making masks optional on their flights.

But now the Department of Justice is filing an appeal in a bid to overturn this judgement after being asked to do so by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Tori Emerson Barnes, US Travel Association’s executive vice president of public affairs and policy, said: “We have long stated that mask usage on public transportation should be an individual choice, and we were pleased to hear president Biden echo that sentiment this week.

“Masks were critically important during the height of the pandemic, but with low hospitalisation rates and multiple effective health tools now widely available, from boosters to therapies to high-quality air ventilation aboard aircraft, required masking on public transportation is simply out of step with the current public health landscape.”

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have already made mask-wearing optional for passengers on fights to the US following the judge’s ruling.