public transportation mask order is not in effect right now at airports across the country. our aviation correspondent pete monoteen joins us with more. what did the judge say in their decision? reporter: anderson, this is so interest because this is the first time i m at reagan national airport. i ve done hundreds of live shots throughout the pandemic wearing a mask. this is the first time we re not wearing a mask because of this federal judge decision, katherine kimball. she was appointed by president trump. she says this rule is essentially void, that the cdc s authority doesn t go over. this is pending a federal review. it came by surprise and was very abrupt. we know the mask mandate was slated to end today. it got sfwextended by two weeks. airlines quickly pushed back
katherine kimball. in the meantime, the travel mask mandate will not in effect. sarah nelson is the international president of the association of flight attendants. cnn s senior legal analyst is here as well. good to have both of you on. i can t wait for this conversation. i ve been hearing from so many people different sides on this today, opposite sides. sarah, you first. take a quick listen to how some flight passengers reacted to this ruling. it s official on southwest airlines yay, no more mask! our delta hub says masks are now optional for employees, customers. [ cheers ] cheering and celebrations all around and the airlines didn t waste any time. american airlines, southwest, united, delta, alaska airlines, all dropping their mask
a federal judge has overturned the biden administration s mandate that masks must be worn aboard planes, trains and other public transportation. nbc news just correspondent pete williams has more on the new rule. the state of the lawsuit filed bay conservative group and two women who said that wearing a face mask caused them anxiety and panic attack, the judge said the cdc did not have the legal authority to impose the mask mandate and the government protect the law by doing it without first seeking public comment. the judge katherine kimball, a trump appointee said she had to make her ruling apply nationwide writing how is the ride sharing driver, the flight attendant, or bus driver, to know that somebody is a plaintiff to this lawsuit, with permission to enter mask-free? so she struck the mandate down.
now, the mandate had applied to airline, trains, and other forms of public transportation. several major airlines immediately made masks optional. you see a list there. and some warned, enforcement might be inconsistent because the nounment was unexpected. pete muntean picks it up from there. reporter: this was one of the last major mask mandates to remain in place. federal transportation mask mandate was slated to end in two weeks, on may 3rd. now, by order of a u.s. district judge in florida, katherine kimball, says that goes beyond the authority and the white house has confirmed the transportation mask mandate is no longer in effect pending a federal review. this was required on planes, trains, buses, boats, and terminals starting in february 2021, not long after president joe biden took office. it was extended to march 18th, then april 18th, then an extension to may 3rd. now, we know this is going away