Federal mask mandate has been lifted for airlines. What do Sioux Falls travelers think?

A day after a federal judge voided a rule that required masks on planes, face coverings were mostly absent on passengers in the Sioux Falls Regional Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

There was a noticeable lack of masks being worn — though several airport employees were wearing them — and most of the signs and announcements that came with the mandate are also missing, save for a few signs near security check in.

Jannette Lemke from Mitchell was bringing her sister, Patra Schneider, to the airport so she could fly home to Los Angeles. Lemke recently came back from England herself and said she was very excited when she heard about the change on the morning news.

"It will be so nice not to worry about wearing it on those long flights," she said, though she mentioned masks were required on the planes but not in the terminals in London and Copenhagen.

Dani Murray from Arlington found out Monday night on the news.

"It's a breath of fresh air, for lack of better words," she said.

More: Airlines have dropped their mask mandates. But where are masks still required?

Sheena Peskey from Tripp said hearing out about the lifted mandates made her happy.

"Being in South Dakota — we haven't really worn masks a whole lot, so it's nice to not have to."

She did bring a mask with her just in case, she said.

Glen Neumiller, a South Dakota native, was in the airport Tuesday to get back to the Philippines, where he is currently living. He also was happy about the change.

"Between airports and layovers, you wear a mask for two days straight," he said. When Neumiller heard on the news Monday that the mandate was lifted, he said he was "jumping up and down."

"I love it," he said.

More: Airlines ditch face mask rules for the first time in two years. Here's what travelers need to know.

While the majority of travelers and workers in the Sioux Falls airport were not wearing masks, there were a few who opted to keep wearing them.

Sienna Mayer of Sioux Falls was one of them. She said she travels for work and flies frequently.

"I think it's a little bit early," she said, citing how the CDC still recommends wearing masks in indoor public transportation settings.

The federal ruling comes a week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it would extend the mask mandate on indoor public transportation to May 3 to allow time to study the newest strain of the coronavirus.

The federal mask mandate had been in place in January 2021 and was set to expire Monday, but a federal judge in Florida voided it, saying the order didn't follow proper rulemaking procedures. Many airlines enacted the change immediately Monday evening.

"I have mine with me," said Salvador Jaimes, a traveler in the Sioux Falls airport Tuesday who is from El Salvador said.

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

While he wasn't wearing a mask, he doesn't mind the lifted restrictions "as long as people have some consideration for those who still wear them," he said.

The Biden Administration said federal agencies are reviewing the decision, but for now, the Transportation Security Administration is not enforcing the mandate. Sioux Falls airport workers declined comments on the change when asked by the Argus Leader

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls airport ditches mask requirement for travelers, workers