Pirate's Cove

Of course, since most of the news media is biased for Democrats, this is less news and more hit piece

10 JetBlue, American Airlines, and Southwest pilots are suing the CDC over the federal mask mandate, saying it encourages unruly behavior but they’re citing flawed science

A small group of pilots who work for major US airlines are suing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the recently extended federal transportation mask mandate.

The 10 pilots work for commercial airlines including JetBlue, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines, according to the lawsuit.

In the filing, the pilots alleged that the CDC acted “without providing public notice or soliciting comment.”

The federal mask mandate applies to public transportation, including commercial aircraft. On March 10 it was extended for 30 days, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The rule is set to remain in effect through at least April 18.

How many of the issues on planes revolve around masks?

The pilots say in the suit they have “serious concerns about the safety implications” of the mask mandate in relation to unruly-passenger incidents caused by mask policies.

The lawsuit says: “As pilots for major airlines, we have seen up close and personal the chaos in the sky created by the FTMM (Federal Transportation Mask Mandate), with thousands of reports to the Federal Aviation Administration of ‘unruly’ passenger behavior since the FTMM took effect Feb. 1, 2021.”

The pilots described 2021 as the “worst year on record for buffoonish behavior on planes” and blamed nearly all of the “chaos” on mask requirements.

The FAA has said 4,290 mask-related incidents were reported in 2021, accounting for more than 75% of the agency’s unruly-passenger reports. Since January of last year, the agency proposed fines of more than $682,000 against unruly passengers.

In fairness, people know the rules, and, wearing a mask for a couple hours or so is no big deal, at least in my opinion. Sure, it’s annoying, but, I’ll consider wearing one while flying simply to reduce the chance for a cold or flu. And, again, it is the rule, as stupid as it is. People knew the rule when booking the flight. Instead, some try to create problems, for whatever reason (social media fame, they want to make a point, etc), inconveniencing everyone else and getting themselves in trouble.

But the suit also claims, without good evidence, that the mask mandate “impairs pilots’ health.”

“Wearing a mask before and during flight causes us numerous medical deficiencies,” the pilots claim in their suit, saying that they’re suffering from “mask fatigue,” which is not a thing, and suggesting that “face masks are totally ineffective.” The reality is that face masks are effective at reducing COVID-19 transmission (and high-quality respirators do the job better than simple cloth coverings).

The pilots cite an article authored by Lucas Wall, a longtime opponent to the federal mask mandate, who has filed several lawsuits against the CDC and airlines. Wall, an avid world traveler and former newspaper journalist, has no scientific or public health background.

First, that’s funny because neither of the “journalists” writing this piece have a background in science or public health. The majority of climate crisis (scam) pieces in the news are written by people with no science background. Regardless, anyone who has been forced to wear a mask knows exactly what mask fatigue is. We’ve experienced it. We’ve felt it. All for masks that are, at best, 10% effective at stopping COVID19. And why do pilots, sitting in the cockpit behind closed doors, need to wear masks? They’re segregated from the “cattle” in the back.

Of course, it might be a bit late for this lawsuit, if the mask mandate does go away in April. But, since the Usual Suspects are fearmongering on a new surge from a sub-variant, they might keep it.