The American Conservative
If TSA’s endurance is any indication, maskless air travel may be a thing of the past.
In the fall of 2020, Lancet Infectious Diseases published an editorial posing the question, “What does the future hold for travellers?” The authors envisioned cuts to beverage and meal services, compulsory Covid-testing, enhanced cleaning practices, mandated masking, and the increased implementation of touchless technologies would become staples of air travel’s new normal.
“Following the terrorist attacks of Sept 11, 2001, travellers adapted to enhanced security controls in airports and strict rules regarding their luggage,” the authors wrote. “The COVID-19 pandemic may similarly redefine what is normal for travellers…”
At the time, some of the authors’ predictions—like required masking and additional cleaning measures on planes—had already come to pass. Since then, authorities have imposed testing requirements for most air travelers flying into the United States and vaccination requirements for non-citizens and non-immigrants, no doubt due in part to the rise of the Omicron variant.
