US Airlines yet to decide on mandating vaccine for their employees

US Airlines are split on the decision of whether to mandate Covid-19 vaccination for their employees. United Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have announced that is it mandated for all their 73,000 employees to get the Covid-19 vaccines, while Alaska Airlines said that they are considering a similar mandate. Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and JetBlue Airlines are encouraging their employees to get vaccinated but it is not a mandate. Airplanes worker's unions are of the staunch belief that getting the vaccine should be a matter of choice and not a mandate.

All this comes at a crucial time when the Delta variant of Covid-19 is spreading it's tentacles throughout the United States, especially air travel industries. Multiple pilots and other staff members have expressed their concern regarding their safety if the vaccination is not mandated. Employers fear the loss of more workers due to contracting the virus at a time when the workforce is already streched thin. The Allied Pilots Association said that the weekly Covid cases among pilots has reached an all-time high. According to the union, as of August 12, 5 pilots were hospitalized due to Covid-19.

Source: CNBC