Judge strikes down mask mandate on transportation 1:14 (CNN) — Scenes ranging from excitement to confusion unfolded at airports across the United States Monday after a federal judge struck down the mask mandate for the public transport of the government of Joe Biden. Some passengers learned of the Florida judge’s decision on the rule aimed at mitigating the threat of covid-19 moments before takeoff, as flight attendants announced that, for the first time in almost two years, masks were optional. Southwest passenger Pam Eason captured on video the moment a crew member told a plane full of passengers that Southwest had waived the mask requirement. In the video, passengers are heard clapping and cheering, with one saying, “Yes, no more masks!” “What an incredible relief!” Eason told CNN of her reaction to the news. “Praise God, we all did our part to get where we are.” On a Sun Country Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Minneapolis-St. Paul, a flight attendant came down the aisle with a garbage bag for passengers to throw away their masks. The judge’s decision comes after nearly two years of mask requirements for U.S. travelers, first enforced by major airlines in the spring of 2020 and later made mandatory by the federal government in February 2021 for airplanes. and other methods of public transportation. The Transportation Security Administration confirmed Monday that it would end the mandate, and an extension that was to take effect Tuesday will also be rescinded. Still, some airport travelers plan to continue wearing masks, even without a federal mandate or airline rules, they told CNN. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to recommend wearing masks for passengers using indoor public transportation. “I will always wear my mask,” said Davida Wright at the Hollywood Burbank airport in California. “I lost my grandmother to covid a year ago, and that’s why I’m very picky about masks. So I’m going to keep wearing them, regardless of the mandates.” “I protect myself by wearing my mask,” she said, adding that her youngest daughter would continue to wear it as well. Some said they would take circumstances into account when deciding whether to wear masks, including factors like the size of the crowd or whether they know people are vaccinated. “I feel much more comfortable with a mask on most of the time,” Jason Alexander said as he prepared to board a flight at New York’s LaGuardia airport, describing how he felt seeing others without a mask. “Certainly in areas where there are a lot of people, I’m still not comfortable with people not wearing masks.” Passengers wearing face masks line up in March 2021 at a ticket booth in the main terminal at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, New York. Airlines Announce Mask-Optional Before airlines individually announced whether they would continue to require mask-wearing without a federal mandate, there was some confusion among passengers and airline staff. When Delta passenger Elizabeth Nesmith boarded her flight on Monday, an airline employee told her that she had to wear the mask because they hadn’t received any information from Delta, she said. But soon after, a flight attendant announced that Delta had made the use of it optional. American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Jet Blue and Spirit also said they would drop the requirement to wear a mask. Some airlines also asked passengers to be respectful of others’ decisions to wear a mask. “While we’re glad this means many of us get to see your smiling faces, we understand some may have mixed feelings,” Alaska Airlines posted on its website. “Please remember to be courteous to others and wearing a mask while traveling is still an option.” Alaska Airlines also noted that some passengers who were barred from the airline when the mask policy was in effect will continue to be barred from its planes. The Flight Attendants Association asked “everyone to practice patience, remain calm and continue to follow the instructions of crew members” as rule adjustments proceed, it said in a statement Monday. Travelers who aren’t comfortable with the changes can continue to mitigate infection risks, said Dr. Leana Wen, a professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. “People need to remember that just because the government doesn’t require you to wear a mask, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear one. I’m definitely going to wear a mask when I go on planes, trains, airports,” he told CNN. “Make sure if you wear a mask that you wear an N95 or equivalent, because you have to protect yourself,” Wen said. “Putting on a mask works really well even if others around you don’t.” Some agencies maintain mask requirements Philadelphia imposes use of masks due to increase in cases 2:24 Although the mandate fell at the federal level -and some transportation services such as Amtrak announced that the use of masks would be optional-, other agencies continue to follow the guidelines from the CDC and keep mask requirements active. New Jersey Transit and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority are among those that announced Monday that they will continue to require masks on board for passengers during trips. Additionally, Portland’s TriMet, Seattle’s King County Metro and the Chicago Transit Authority said they will maintain their mask policies for now. In Atlanta, the MARTA transit system will no longer require passengers and employees to wear masks. SEPTA in Philadelphia and CapMetro in Austin, Texas, also announced they would waive their mask requirements, but noted that the CDC still recommends passengers wear them. The push-and-pull of different agencies and cities keeping or even reinstating mask mandates will be “a little confusing” at times, Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Center for Vaccine Education at Children’s Hospital, said Monday. Philadelphia. Philadelphia, for example, began enforcing the use of masks in many closed venues and restaurants on Monday, as COVID-19 infection rates rise, hitting crowds at playoff games in particular. the NBA. “On Saturday, the Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Toronto Raptors and there were 20,000 people in the stands who weren’t wearing masks. Tonight when they host them, there will be 20,000 people in the stands who, by definition, are going to have to wear masks,” Offit said. to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. Although cases are on the rise, since the vast majority of Americans have some form of protection through prior infection or vaccination, “that will most likely not precede an increase in hospitalizations and hospital admissions.” intensive care unit and deaths, we’ll see,” he said. “I think that’s where we are right now in this pandemic.” CNN’s Paul Vercammen, Liam Reilly, Ken Borland, David Williams, Tierney Sneed, Pete Muntean, David Shortell, Taylor Romine, Artemis Moshtaghian, Gregory Wallace and Dave Alsup contributed to this report.