Just one major American airline is letting unvaccinated employees continue to work and travel.
Delta Airlines is the remaining holdout after Southwest announced Monday that it would mandate vaccines for its 54,000 employees following “a thorough review of President Biden’s COVID Action Plan,” which requires that companies with more than 100 employees have vaccine mandates or weekly testing.
All Southwest employees, the airline said in a Monday press release, must receive the COVID-19 vaccine by Dec. 8 in order to stay employed. Workers can also be approved for a religious, medical or disability exemption, though it remains unclear how this process works.
“Southwest Airlines must join our industry peers in complying with the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccination directive,” said Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines’ chairman and CEO, in a company press release. “I encourage all Southwest Employees to meet the federal directive, as quickly as possible, since we value every individual and want to ensure job security for all.”
A Delta spokesperson told SFGATE that the airline has no plan to mandate vaccines, noting that 84% of its staff is vaccinated without any mandate.
“While we continue to examine the Administration’s executive order, Delta people who remain unvaccinated can continue their careers while undergoing mandatory masking, weekly testing and — beginning in November — assessment of a $200 healthcare surcharge,” the spokesperson told SFGATE in an email.
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