https://www.yahoo.com/news/hap...elers-023859309.html

'I was happy. I could breathe better': Travelers, crew left confused after mask mandate was lifted

Alexandra Rybakovsky saw the news Monday night mid-flight on a seatback monitor.

As she was walking off the plane she noticed flight attendants chatting about it as they took off their masks.

The New Jersey resident was flying back with her family from Aruba when they learned that masks were no longer required on domestic flights.

"We were relaxed all the way there, it's not (a) bother (for) us to wear it," she told USA TODAY. "Most of the time we don't need it because we're vaccinated."

Her family took their masks off once off the plane. But Rybakovsky still had hers in her pocket.

Sonya Yurchenko, 13, said she was glad to have the mask off.

"I feel better. Without (the mask) it feels more normal, back to how it was before," she said.

The federal government said Monday passengers traveling on airplanes and other forms of public transportation won't be required to wear a face mask for now, after a federal judge in Florida voided the mandate.

The decision Monday by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa says the federal mask mandate exceeded the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which failed to justify the order and didn't follow proper rulemaking procedures.

Note this is only at the federal level. Individual airports, airlines, transit systems, etc., are free to impose mandates in their systems.