US: White House COVID-19 official to meet with airline CEOs Friday, sources say

The CEs of major US airlines are scheduled to meet virtually on Friday with the White House’s COVID-19 response coordinator to discuss a number of travel-related issues, three people briefed on the matter said Wednesday. The meeting with coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients and other administration officials involved in COVID-19 issues comes as airlines, aviation unions and other industry groups have strongly objected to the possibility of requiring predeparture COVID-19 testing before domestic flights. The White House declined to comment, and major airlines declined or did not respond to requests for comment. Southwest CE Gary Kelly and the leaders of the airline’s unions urged President Joe Biden in a letter not to mandate COVID-19 testing, saying it would put “jobs at risk.” “Such a mandate would be counterproductive, costly, and have serious unintended consequences,” said the letter, which was dated Tuesday but released on Wednesday.<br/>