Delta CEO says it’s hard to require vaccines for US flights when Covid shots aren’t fully approved

Delta CEO Ed Bastian said Tuesday the carrier does not plan to require Covid vaccines for domestic travel. “It’s very difficult for us to come in and mandate a vaccine that isn’t even federally approved yet, the authorization hasn’t been final yet, so stay tuned,” Bastian said. “We’re continuing to encourage as much as we can amongst our own people and our customers to get vaccinated. The numbers are picking up” on vaccinations, he said. More and more staff and customers have recently gotten their Covid shots as the delta variant, first discovered in India, became the dominant strain in the US, Bastian said. He added that 73% of the airline’s staff is fully vaccinated. Many companies are debating whether they should implement vaccination mandates or solely incentivize more of their staff and customers to get vaccinated. The discussion has intensified as the more contagious delta variant continues to infect the largely unvaccinated areas of the United States, causing the seven-day average daily case count to recently surpass last summer’s peak. However, Bastian said Delta’s flights were more than 90% full over the weekend as people are “learning how to manage and live” with the coronavirus pandemic. He said the airline carries millions of people each week, the vast majority of whom are vaccinated and fully masked. The TSA in the spring extended a federal mask mandate for air, train and bus travel to mid-September, a measure that will likely be extended, barring a sharp drop in infection rates. “I expect as those borders continue to open, you’re going to see more and more of those requirements. Here in the US, I don’t think it’s necessary,” Bastian said. Delta and United Airlines are also requiring proof of vaccination for new hires. <br/>