United Airlines will need its 67,000 U.S. employees to get vaccinated, a first for domestic carriers

August 9, 2021: -United Airlines will require its 67,000 U.S. employees to get vaccinated against Covid by no later than October 25 or risk termination, a first for major U.S. carriers are going to ramp up pressure on rivals.

Airlines have so far resisted vaccine mandates for all workers, instead offering incentives such as extra pay or time off to get inoculated. Delta Air Lines started requiring newly hired employees to show proof of vaccination in May, and United started in June.

United’s requirement is one of the tightest vaccine mandates from a U.S. company and includes employees who regularly interact with customers, such as flight attendants and gate agents.

U.S. companies such as Facebook announced employees have to prove that they have been vaccinated to return to the office. Others are requiring them only for certain workers. Walmart, for example, said last week that it would be necessary for corporate staff and management-level employees. Uber said U.S. office staff would need to be vaccinated to return to in-person work but stopped short of requiring them for drivers.

Meatpacker Tyson Foods said this week its 120,000 U.S. employees must be fully vaccinated this year, though more than 50,000 already are.

“We know some of you will disagree with this decision to require the vaccine for all United employees,” United CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart said Friday in an employee note. “But, we have no greater responsibility to you and your colleagues than to ensure your safety when you’re at work, and the facts are very clear everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated.”

United Airlines employees must upload proof that they received two doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one amount of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose five weeks after federal officials give full approval to them or by October 25, whichever is first, the executives said. Exceptions will be made for specific health issues or religious reasons, United said.

The mandate does not apply to regional airlines that fly shorter routes for United.

According to company officials, many of United’s employees have already reported they have been vaccinated, such as roughly 90% of pilots and 80% of flight attendants. United didn’t say what the company’s overall vaccination rate is.

In comparison, about 60% of American Airlines’ pilots are vaccinated, according to an August 5 letter to members from their union, the Allied Pilots Association, which encouraged aviators to get vaccinated.

Company officials said that the decision was partly driven by concerns about rises in Covid-19 cases last year during the fall and winter.