United Airlines will be the first major airline to require vaccinations for its employees.United Airlines mandating vaccines for employeesLive and Lets Fly reported that United Airlines will require all employees to be vaccinated in the United States by this fall. The earlier deadline for this vaccination is five weeks after September 20, 2021 or five weeks following the FDA's announcement that the COVID-19 vaccine has been fully approved by the FDA. This means that all United Airlines employees who are based in the United States must be vaccinated by October.United Airlines will not hire employees who refuse to be vaccinated. Only exception to this rule is the very limited reasonable accommodation process required by law for medical and religious exemptions.To address anyone who may be skeptical, the memo says:We are aware that not all United employees will agree with our decision to require vaccinations. We have no greater responsibility than you and your coworkers to ensure safety at work. The facts are clear: everyone is safer if everyone is vaccinated. Scott has sent many condolence letters to relatives of COVID-19-infected employees over the past 16 months. We will do our best to prevent another family in the United States from receiving this letter.Are other airlines likely to follow United's example?United Airlines will be the first major airline to require vaccinations for its employees. Although United and Delta had both announced earlier this year that new employees would be required to get vaccinated upon their hiring, they did not add any restrictions for employees already employed.Recently, both American and Delta CEOs stated that they would not mandate vaccinations for employees. I'm curious to know if they change their mind after United's announcement.United is really leading the way in this area. At the beginning of the year, Scott Kirby, United CEO, suggested that he would eventually require all employees to have their vaccines. He stated that he didn't think United could get away with it and that if they want to be the only company that requires vaccinations, then they need others.Kirby seems to think that United is now in a position where they can do this.Bottom lineUnited Airlines is the first airline in America to require that employees get vaccinated every fall. Employees who refuse to be vaccinated will need to either qualify for a religious or medical exemption or lose their job.United is the first major American airline to require something like this. It is also one of the largest travel companies in America. Scott Kirby and his team deserve a lot of credit for this achievement.
