Sign in Subscribe
Vaccination

Delta Air Lines Mandates Vaccination or Weekly Testing for Employees

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Delta Air Lines, the country's second-largest carrier, has announced a new policy requiring employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or face a series of escalating measures, including weekly testing and a $200 monthly health insurance surcharge. The airline's CEO, Ed Bastian, emphasized the importance of vaccination in preventing the spread of the virus and keeping employees safe. The company's decision follows the FDA's full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and comes as other major companies, such as CVS Health and Walt Disney, have implemented similar policies.

Key Takeaways:

  • Delta Air Lines will require employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or face a series of escalating measures, including weekly testing and a $200 monthly health insurance surcharge.
  • About 75% of Delta's employees are already vaccinated, and unvaccinated employees will be required to wear masks indoors on company property.
  • On Sept. 12, unvaccinated employees will be required to be tested weekly for the coronavirus, and on Sept. 30, a pay-protection program will apply only to breakthrough cases.
  • On Nov. 1, the $200 health insurance surcharge will begin, and the airline estimates that the "average hospital stay for COVID-19 has cost Delta $50,000 per person."
  • Delta Air Lines began requiring all new employees to be vaccinated in May, and the airline industry has not settled on a uniform approach to vaccine mandates.
  • United Airlines, the first domestic carrier to impose a vaccine mandate for U.S.-based employees, will now apply its policy earlier, in late September, due to the FDA's vaccine approval.
  • Other airlines, such as Frontier and American Airlines, have taken different approaches, with some offering incentives and others not implementing mandates.

Statistics:

  • 68,000: The number of employees at Delta Air Lines.
  • 75%: The percentage of Delta employees already vaccinated.
  • 50,000: The estimated cost of a hospital stay for COVID-19 for each person.
  • Sept. 12: The date by which unvaccinated employees will be required to undergo weekly testing.
  • Sept. 30: The date by which a pay-protection program will apply only to breakthrough cases.
  • Nov. 1: The date by which the $200 health insurance surcharge will begin.
  • May: The month by which Delta Air Lines began requiring all new employees to be vaccinated.

Sources:

  • Delta Air Lines memo from CEO Ed Bastian
  • United Airlines memo from CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart
  • The Wall Street Journal article on the airline industry's approach to vaccine mandates
  • The New York Times article on Delta's vaccination policy
  • Air Canada statement on its vaccine mandate policy
  • Lufthansa statement on its vaccine mandate policy

Read more