3 major US airlines won't force employees to get vaccinated

Southwest and Delta Airlines
Photo credit (Getty Images)

The CEO's of three of the biggest airlines in the US have stated they will not be requiring employees to be vaccinated.

CNN reports, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines are not following the path of United and Frontier Airlines, who both announced last week that all employees must get vaccinated. United workers may be fired if unvaccinated by Oct. 25 and unvaccinated Frontier workers will have to show daily proof of negative tests starting Oct. 1.

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly stated the company's stance on vaccinations hasn't changed as they still "strongly encourage" everyone to get vaccinated.

"Obviously, I am very concerned about the latest Delta variant, and the effect on the health and Safety of our Employees and our operation, but nothing has changed," Kelly said in an internal memo obtained by CNN.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker has said all employees who get vaccinated will receive an extra vacation day next year.

"We certainly encourage it everywhere we can, encourage it for our customers and our employees, but we're not putting mandates in place," Parker said on a New York Times podcast.

And although Delta is requiring all new employees to be vaccinated, it isn't mandating it for current employees. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told Good Day New York on Tuesday that 75% of its workforce is vaccinated.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: (Getty Images)