American, Alaska and JetBlue to Require COVID-19 Vaccine for Employees

Joe Cortez October 04, 2021

After United Airlines was successful in getting nearly every employee to get inoculated against the virus causing COVID-19, three more airlines will also require workers to take the shot. American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue will all require employees to get vaccinated to remain with their carriers after a presidential executive order create a mandate for companies with at least 100 employees.

Three more airlines will now require their employees to take the COVID-19 vaccine, or possibly face termination from their jobs.

NPR reports American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue are joining United Airlines in making shots mandatory for their employees.

Three Airlines Join Vaccine Mandate After Executive Order

The approach to vaccination has been wildly different for each of the U.S.-based carriers. While United was the first to require inoculation, they were quickly joined by Hawaiian Airlines and Frontier Airlines. American Airlines offered incentives to employees, while Delta Air Lines added a health insurance surcharge for those who refuse to get vaccinated.

Once president Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring all companies with over 100 employees and government contractor companies to mandate vaccines, major companies and airlines were all affected. To maintain their government contracts, American, Alaska and JetBlue are now requiring their workers to get the shot.

In a internal memo leaked to Twitter, American chief executive Doug Parker and president Robert Isom announced that because the Fort Worth-based carrier participates in the City Pair Program, the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program and Department of Defense cargo contracts, the company has no choice but to comply. The executives made their position clear: “Team members who choose to remain unvaccinated will not be able to work at American Airlines.”

Breaking: @AmericanAir says federal vaccine mandate will apply to all U.S-based employees pic.twitter.com/JYdkx2McDa

— davidshepardson (@davidshepardson) October 1, 2021

Alaska and JetBlue will also follow suit, noting that their employees must be fully vaccinated by December 8, 2021. Because there is no alternative in the executive order, those who wish to remain unvaccinated cannot wear face coverings and submit to weekly testing. Instead, they will either have to get vaccinated or look for work elsewhere.

The moves comes as the White House continues to pressure carriers to set a vaccine mandate for all employees. Reuters reports the executive branch’s COVID-19 coordinator spoke to leaders at American, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines to reinforce the need for an internal mandate.

Pilots Groups Push Back Against COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

Although the executive order may ultimately require all airline employees to get vaccinated, some groups are pushing back against the requirement. Both American’s pilots union and the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association have openly demanded the carriers offer alternatives, noting 30 percent of Allied Pilots Association members have not taken the shot out of fear of protecting their careers.

Feature image courtesy: Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash