LOS ANGELES — COVID-19 protocols are easing throughout Los Angeles County and in the state, but airports are still holding strong to masking requirements.

Recently, the U.S. Travel Association called on the Biden Administration to end the federal requirement as the Federal Aviation Administration reports more than 600 instances of mask-related unruly passengers since January.

Yooshik Oum is a flight attendant who said he has dealt with the situation firsthand.

“Dealing with the passengers who are not wearing a mask, we have to call the authority when we get to the destination,” Oum said. “It’s very frustrating for everybody.”

Despite pushback from some passengers on his flights, Oum is not ready for passengers to board without masks.

“There is a filter system on an airplane. It is actually one of the state-of-the art filtering system, but still, the airplane is a very congested area with limited space,” Oum said. 

Recently, the Transportation Security Administration extended mask requirements until April 18. Megan O’ Connor, a traveler hoping to spend the week dirt biking, said she is ready to see that requirement end.

“I had COVID, my whole family had COVID and I still don’t think that it’s necessary,” O’ Connor said.

Another traveler, Hallie Lee, said her flight was packed and the thought of people being maskless near her would not be something she is comfortable with.

Spectrum News reached out to the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA who sent this statement:

“Two years ago we fought for the right of Flight Attendants to wear masks and for airlines to supply the proper PPE to safely do our jobs. Masks were central to communicating the controlled environment in the aircraft cabin that gave people confidence to return to flying. COVID public health policies are beginning to sunset with vaccination, access to PPE, and home testing. Let’s not push a controversy around federal regulations that frontline workers are charged with enforcing. It just makes our jobs harder and more dangerous. We are working to ensure Flight Attendants are not prohibited from making the choice to utilize safety items such as masks and gloves as these policies start to change in the near future.”

In the meantime, Oum is hoping COVID cases will continue to go down before masks become a thing of the past.

He also has one request: “Please wear a mask properly. I do not want to say it all the time. But it is just mandatory for everybody’s precaution.”