Not only will Southwest Airlines employees get to eat the extra peanuts and crackers after their flights, but they will also get some extra cash if they get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Dallas-based airline announced the incentive on Wednesday.
Southwest is not the only airline to give out an incentive, as several other airlines rolled out similar policies earlier this year.
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Staff who work for Southwest that show proof of full vaccination by mid-November will receive extra pay, according to a company memo, CNBC reported.
The bump in pay is worth two full days of compensation, or 16 hours. In addition, flight attendants and pilots will receive payment for 13 trip segments, the company said.
The company memo said that the policy is reportedly “unrelated” to President Joe Biden’s recent COVID-19 vaccination mandate. However, Southwest last week said it was “prepared to move toward compliance” with the forthcoming rules.
“If you have not been vaccinated and choose to do so, this timeline gives you enough time to receive both rounds of a two-series vaccine or the single-dose vaccine,” Southwest wrote in its memo.
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Along with several other companies, Southwest will start to restrict the pay of employees who are forced to quarantine from COVID infections unless the staff has been vaccinated. This will go into effect on Nov. 16, forcing the unvaccinated to use their own sick time.
Other airlines to give out incentives to employees include Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines.
Last month it was reported that United Airlines would require its 67,000 U.S. staffers to be vaccinated this fall. It also said that all staff who receive religious exemptions would be placed on temporary unpaid leave.
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However, 90% of United’s U.S. employees have been vaccinated, Kate Gebo, United’s executive vice president of human resources, said.
Delta announced that it plans to charge unvaccinated employees $200 more a month for company health insurance starting in November.
Pay protections have ended for American and Alaska Airlines employees, according to an announcement from earlier this month.
