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With just five days until United will start putting unvaccinated US employees on leave, the company says 97% of workers have complied with its mandate. "United will start the separation process as early as September 28," confirmed spokesperson Leslie Scott, who noted that only a "small number" of workers have requested an exemption based on health or religious reasons. "The good news is that large majorities of our employees continue to upload their vaccination records." United announced a vaccine mandate for all 67,000 US-based workers last month. No other major airline has issued such a mandate, though several have signaled that more guidance is coming. And unlike some other companies, United isn't allowing unvaccinated employees to take weekly Covid tests as an alternative. "While we continue to be encouraged by the outpouring of support and appreciation that we've received from employees, we know the decision to get vaccinated was a difficult one for some," United's update said. "But we also know that everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated. And vaccine requirements work." Very few United employees have resigned rather than get the vaccine, CEO Scott Kirby said last week. He said he expected resignations to increase ahead of the deadline, but he believed that most workers who had yet to confirm their status are in fact vaccinated and just haven't gotten around to uploading proof of their vaccination status.<br/>

United is facing claims that it unlawfully denied religious and medical exemptions from a requirement that employees receive COVID-19 vaccines after allegedly making it difficult for workers to apply for them. Six United employees filed a class action in Texas federal court on Tuesday claiming that workers who sought exemptions from the vaccine mandate were subjected to intrusive inquiries about their medical conditions or religious beliefs, including a requirement that they obtain letters from pastors. United said the lawsuit was without merit, and that it has seen an overwhelmingly positive response from employees since announcing its vaccine requirement last month. More than 97% of United’s U.S.-based employees are vaccinated, the airline said. The lawsuit highlights the thorny legal issues faced by employers in mandating vaccines, and comes as President Joe Biden is seeking to require companies with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 weekly. The plaintiffs on Wednesday asked the court to temporarily bar enforcement of United’s mandate for employees who request exemptions. United has required workers to receive at least the first dose of a vaccine by Sept. 27 or face termination, according to the lawsuit. The airline has already faced a separate legal challenge to its vaccine mandate, which was dismissed by a US judge in Florida last week. The judge said that lawsuit was not filed properly. The plaintiffs in Tuesday’s lawsuit say United gave employees only until Aug. 31 to request religious or medical exemptions from the vaccine requirement, and that it has automatically denied requests filed after that deadline.<br/>

Swiss is prioritising destinations over frequencies in the coming winter season, which will see it operate around 50% of its equivalent pre-Covid capacity. The Lufthansa Group carrier will serve a total of 90 destinations from Zurich and Geneva during the end-October 2021 to end-March 2022 period, it announced on 22 September, a number on a par with its 2019 network. Service to several “classic summer destinations” will be extended into the winter schedule this year, Swiss adds. “We have crafted our schedules for the coming winter timetable period to give our customers the widest possible range of air services and connections while still maintaining a robust and reliable route network,” says Swiss chief commercial officer Tamur Goudarzi Pour. Some 81 destinations will be served from its main base in Zurich, including the long-haul “key centres” of Chicago, Miami, New York, Sao Paulo, Dubai, Johannesburg and Tel Aviv. Of the 60 short-haul destinations to be served from Zurich, several are traditionally summer-only routes, including Malta, Marseille, Palermo and Thessaloniki.<br/>

Korean Air's plan to absorb rival Asiana Airlines could be delayed as key approvals are taking longer than expected. Korean Air initially planned to complete the merger by next year after injecting 1.5t won into Asiana Airlines in late June to acquire a 63.7% stake. "The KFTC's review of the Korean Air-Asiana Airlines merger is being delayed. It is unfortunate," KDB Chairman Lee Dong-gull said at a press conference last week. "Competing countries are waiting for the KFTC's response on the issue to make their decisions." Both Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have been hit hard by a decline in passenger traffic due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and are managing to stay afloat by handling more cargo transport volume. Unionized workers at Asiana are calling for a thorough review of the merger procedures to ensure that they keep their jobs. The merger would make Korean Air rank among the world's top 10 airlines. "Eighty-five percent of the routes operated by Korean Air and Asiana Airlines overlap, so we cannot have full confidence in their promise," the labor union at Asiana said. "The company (Korean Air) needs to negotiate with the union to establish employment guarantee measures." State-run Korea Development Bank says the jobs of Asiana workers will be guaranteed under the investment agreement and a violation will force Korean Air to cough up 500 billion won for breach of contract. Korean Air needs to have its Asiana acquisition plan approved by nine different aviation authorities. In January, Korean Air submitted requests for the approval and so far received the green light from Turkey, Thailand and Taiwan, but awaits approval from the United States, EU, China, Japan, Vietnam and the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC). Story has more.<br/>