Yesterday morning, United Airlines announced that employees would be required to get vaccinated. This was a first for major airlines in the United States. It didn't take long before another airline followed suit.Frontier Airlines has a new policy regarding vaccines as of October 1.Frontier Airlines announced that all employees will be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by October 1, 2020. This is because coronavirus, particularly the delta variant, has been on the rise in the United States.Barry Biffle, Frontier Airlines CEO, explains the development.We continue to see the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant across the United States. I worry about the safety of our team members, their families, and friends. Frontier is committed to safety and will take all necessary steps to ensure that our employees, passengers and the operation are safe. It is time to put an end COVID-19. The good news is that most of our employees have taken this step already and are vaccinated. I am hopeful that the announcement today will increase the number of fully vaccinated employees.Frontier Airlines may be the first major American airline to adopt a vaccine policy. Although United announced the policy first, Frontier Airlines will only implement its policy five weeks later than the FDA has officially approved the vaccine. This means that United's policy may not be in place by the end of October while Frontier's is being implemented as of October 1.Frontier Airlines' policy has a catchWhat happens if Frontier Airlines employees refuse to get vaccinated. It seems that the airline doesn't require employees to get vaccinated.It is stated that employees who refuse to or cannot get vaccinated will have to show proof of a negative COVID-19 testing on a regular basis.This policy is different from United's. United will fire employees who refuse to get vaccinated. The only exception is a narrow reasonable accommodation process that law requires for medical and religious exemptions.Frontier seems to be more comfortable with the fact that it is very inconvenient for people not to get vaccinated than making it mandatory. I believe Frontier is trying to avoid any legal problems with its policy.Bottom lineFrontier Airlines will be the second major airline to announce plans to require employees to have a vaccination. This policy will be in effect as of October 1st, making Frontier Airlines the first airline to do so. Employees can opt to have their vaccinations replaced by frequent testing.What do you think of Frontier Airlines' new employee vaccination policy for vaccines?
