American, JetBlue, and Southwest Are Now Mandating Employee Vaccinations, Too

Following United’s decision, the list of airlines requiring staff to be vaccinated for COVID-19 is growing.

American, JetBlue, and Southwest Are Now Mandating Employee Vaccinations, Too

One-third of American Airlines pilots are still not vaccinated, the carrier’s pilot union reports.

Photo by Shutterstock

American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, and Southwest Airlines are joining United Airlines in requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as the Biden administration steps up pressure on major U.S. carriers to require the shots.

The airlines provide special flights, cargo hauling, and other services for the government. The companies say that makes them government contractors who are covered by President Joe Biden’s order directing contractors to require that employees be vaccinated.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker told employees late Friday that the airline is still working on details, but “it is clear that team members who choose to remain unvaccinated will not be able to work at American Airlines.”

The pilot union at American recently estimated that 4,200—or 30 percent—of the airline’s pilots are not vaccinated.

Airlines are large employers that fall under Biden’s sweeping order that companies with more than 100 workers require employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing for the virus. However, they are also government contractors, who face a December 8 deadline to enforce vaccination requirements. Alaska Airlines and JetBlue Airways said Friday they will require employees to be vaccinated as soon as December 8 because they will be treated as federal contractors.

“This means employees may no longer opt-in for regular testing and masking in lieu of getting the vaccine,” Alaska Airlines said in a memo to employees.

Delta said it was still evaluating Biden’s order. The airline previously said it will require vaccination or weekly testing and impose surcharges on unvaccinated employees. That would meet the Biden test for large employers but not the stricter rules for federal contractors.

United Airlines took an early and tough stance to require vaccination. United said Thursday that 320 of its 67,000 U.S. employees face termination for not getting vaccinated or seeking a medical or religious exemption by the September 27 deadline.

Employees can seek waivers from the vaccines on medical or religious grounds. United is placing most of those workers on unpaid leave until COVID-19 rates come down.

Southwest Airlines on Monday became the latest U.S. airline to require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Dallas-based company said its workers must be fully vaccinated by December 8 in order to remain at the airline. Southwest has 54,000 employees—they can request to skip the shots due to medical or religious reasons.

Southwest said it has to mandate vaccines because of new rules from the Biden administration requiring companies with federal contracts to have vaccinated staffs. Southwest’s work for the government includes flying the military in emergencies and carrying mail for the U.S. Postal Service.

At least two members of Congress—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)—have proposed requiring that passengers on domestic flights be vaccinated or show proof of a negative test for COVID-19 before they fly.

Anthony Fauci, the government’s top expert on infectious disease, supports that approach for domestic flights. The Biden administration has not ruled out the idea, which the airlines oppose strongly.

This story was originally published on October 4, 2021, and has been updated to include current information.

>> Next: These Hawai‘i, Caribbean, and New York Hotels Now Require Vaccination

From Our Partners
Sign up for our newsletter
Join more than a million of the world’s best travelers. Subscribe to the Daily Wander newsletter.
More from AFAR