Airlines get tough on unvaccinated staff

by Sep 6, 2021Pulse

American Airlines has joined the ranks of carriers that have adjusted their policies to encourage greater take-up of the COVID-19 vaccine among staff. Come early October AA staff who have not taken the jab must use their own sick days if they need to take time off from work after contracting COVID-19. Vaccinated employees will still be covered by AA’s pandemic leave policy which means they will not have to dip into their own sick days if they get the novel coronavirus.

American is just the latest among a list of airlines to change their policies after the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved Pfizer’s drug as a vaccine against COVID-19. In the past, some employees who do not want to get vaccinated had pointed out that no vaccine had officially been given the green light. The FDA’s approval of Pfizer’s drug opened the door for companies to change their policies.

Frontier Airlines will also require employees to be fully vaccinated by October 1 of this year. Those workers who opt not to get vaccinated will be required to participate in regular COVID-19 testing.

Since June of 2021, United has required all new hires to show proof of vaccination; and unvaccinated employees must wear face masks while in company offices. Last month, United Airlines was the first US carrier to require vaccinations for all its domestic employees.

Like American, Alaska Airlines also prevents unvaccinated employees from using a special COVID-19 pay for missing work due to the virus; but it has added a sweetener, giving employees a $200 bonus for getting vaccinated. All new employees going forward must show proof of vaccination before officially being hired and the airline is also requiring all non-vaccinated employees to participate in a vaccine education programme.

Other airlines are trying to get their employees to get vaccinated like Alaska Airlines has done by offering incentives such as extra pay or paid time off.

Airlines still require all on-board to wear masks for the duration of the flight, except when eating or drinking.

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