United this month will start requiring new hires to show proof that they have been vaccinated against Covid-19, following a similar move by Delta. The new rule requires external candidates with job offers made after June 15 to confirm they have been fully vaccinated by their start date, the Chicago-based airline said. The move comes as companies are grappling with whether to require staff to get vaccinated or find a way to incentivize them get inoculated. United, Delta and American have offered extra time off or pay to employees who are vaccinated. “As we welcome new employees to the company, it’s important we instill in them United’s strong commitment to safety,” the airline said in a note to staff, which was tweeted earlier by Brian Sumers, editor-at-large at travel-industry site Skift. The new employees “will be required to upload their COVID vaccine card in My Info no later than 7 days post hire date,” the airline said. The company added it will evaluate any religious or medical circumstances of candidates who can’t be vaccinated. <br/>
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Top executives at Air Canada will return their bonuses and share awards, the carrier said on Sunday, in response to "public disappointment" over executive compensation at the airline, which received government aid in April. Air Canada said CE, executive vice presidents and its former CE, who retired in February, would return the bonuses and share appreciation units "in order to help address this unintended consequence." The carrier said it gave out C$10m in bonuses, adding that much of it went to middle managers. In April, Air Canada, struggling with a collapse in traffic because of the COVID-19 pandemic, reached a deal on a long-awaited aid package with the federal government that would allow it to access up to C$5.9b in funds. About the same time, the airline made the bonus awards to top staff. Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland called the bonuses "inappropriate" last week.<br/>
Thai Airways International will start direct flights from five European cities to Phuket next month in line with plans to reopen the island for tourists. The airline announced via its Facebook page that it will reintroduce direct flights from Zurich, Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt and London to Phuket from July 2. The timing was in sync with the government's confirmation on Friday that Phuket Airport will resume international tourist flights on July 1 for tourists willing not to leave the island for 14 days after arrival. THAI will also reportedly begin flights from Hong Kong to Phuket again on July 2. Qatar Airways has announced four weekly flights from Doha to Phuket from July 1. The Gulf state airline currently operates 12 flights a week between the Qatari and Thai capitals. Qatar Airways Group CE, Akbar Al Baker, said, "With the resumption of flights to Phuket, Qatar Airways marks a significant milestone in the recovery of international tourism. We look forward to working with our partners in Thailand to support the recovery of their tourism sector."<br/>
Ethiopian Airlines has returned a Boeing 777-300ER to service after an incident in which the aircraft partially left a taxiway after arriving at Lagos. The aircraft had been operating a cargo flight having been temporarily converted to a freighter, says the carrier. It had landed at Lagos as flight ET3905 from Addis Ababa on 2 June, vacating at the southern end of runway 18L. While initial claims circulating on social media that the twinjet had overrun or veered off the runway, the airline says it “slightly skidded from the taxiway”. Images from the scene show the aircraft’s left-hand main landing-gear embedded in mud. Meteorological data from the airport indicates no adverse weather conditions at the time. Ethiopian Airlines says the aircraft was undamaged and subsequently returned to Addis Ababa.<br/>