Speaking of mask hysteria:This is why I may never fly again - and don't care.
I continued to fly during the height of the pandemic hysteria. (Note I said "hysteria". The pandemic itself has never had any height to it, only the hysteria). Southwest is my preferred airline. During this period, Southwest made a point of only selling 2/3 of capacity in order to keep middle seats open and passengers spaced apart. At that time, all the big airlines were clamoring for federal bailouts because of Covid, American Airlines being one of the loudest.
On one of my trips, I had to travel to South Dakota to an airport that Southwest did not service. So I had to settle for American Airlines. When I boarded, I was shocked to find a plane completely full. On every leg of the trip, American had sold every single seat. Contrast that with Southwest and their empty middle seat policy. How in the heck could American Airlines justify asking for a bailout when their flights were completely booked?