Airline industry pushes back on CDC guidance that vaccinated people still should avoid travel

(CNN) — The airline industry is pushing back against new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that fully vaccinated people should still avoid travel . In a new statement, industry group Airlines For America insists being on board a plane poses a low risk of coronavirus infection because of heavily filtered air and federally mandated mask wearing. “We remain confident that this layered approach significantly reduces risk,” the group said. Related content CDC releases highly anticipated guidance for people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 The announcement comes after the CDC said those who are vaccinated can meet with others who are vaccinated and even low-risk people who aren’t vaccinated but should still avoid travel. “Every time there’s a surge in travel, we have a surge in cases in this country,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky during Monday’s White House coronavirus response briefing. Health experts remain concerned that spring break travel will lead to an uptick in coronavirus infection rates. Related content Spring break could be a perfect storm for spreading coronavirus variants. Don’t let that happen It appears more people are already starting to travel. The Transportation Security Administration says it screened almost 1.3 million at airports on Sunday, the highest figure since January 3 holiday travel. The TSA screened nearly a million or more than a million people every day since Thursday, meaning 4.5 million people flew over four days. This is the second pandemic-related disagreement between the airline industry and the new Biden administration. The transportation industry pushed back hard earlier this year when the CDC was considering requiring that domestic air travelers get tested for coronavirus at the start of their trip. The White House met with airline CEOs, and the idea fell apart . An airline industry source tells CNN that it is urging the CDC to publicly release the criteria it will use to adjust travel guidance.