Even as a majority of Americans say they are comfortable with domestic air travel, a new Morning Consult polling finds that it has hit its highest point in a little more than a year.
The federal mask mandate on airplanes was repealed on April 19th.
Half of Americans now feel comfortable flying domestically, up from 50% the week before, according to a tracking poll conducted Saturday among 2,200 U.S. adults.
Morning Consult polling the question in January of 2020 found that the share of Americans who feel comfortable on U.S. flights has risen to a new high.
Half of Americans are comfortable with air travel, up from half a week ago and tied for the highest level of the Pandemic.
Fewer Americans are fine with international travel, which is up one percentage point from last week, but still below the high recorded on March 6.
Despite many companies dropping their mask mandates, Americans are slightly more comfortable on buses and trains.
A majority of people said they are comfortable going on vacation, which is the highest share recorded since polling started in April 2020.
It was 57%. The Biden administration originally planned to extend the federal transportation mask mandate until May 3, but a judge struck it down. 45% of the people in the Morning Consult/Politico poll think it's too early to end mask mandates on public transportation.
While the share of Americans comfortable with flying is going up, it is still below the comfort level for many other activities.
The mask mandate was struck down and a recent poll found that a majority of respondents don't think it will have an effect on whether or not they fly now. Half of the people still plan to wear masks in airports and public transportation.
Should the appeals court rule in the government's favor, the mask mandate could be put back in place.
The federal mask mandate was struck down by a US District Judge just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended it by another two weeks. Major airlines and other transportation companies dropped their mask mandates after the decision was made. The repeal came as other mask mandates had already been lifted nationwide after Covid-19 cases plunged following a winter surge. Before it lifted the mask requirement, the CDC wanted to see if the subvariant would cause a new rise in severe illness and hospitalization.
Tracking the Return to Normal: Travel.
A judge has declared the federal public transportation mask mandate to be illegal.
Polls suggest that Americans want the federal mask.
Only half of Americans are comfortable flying right now.
Live updates on the coronaviruses.
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