Airline companies in the United States and around the world have begun to mandate vaccinations against the COVID-19 virus amid recent Delta variant case surges. Companies like United Airlines have told their employees that they must be fully vaccinated to continue working. Canadian airlines Air Canada has also told their employees that if they are not vaccinated by October 30, they will either face termination or be put on unpaid leave.
Delta Air Lines is also attempting to mandate vaccines, yet in a different way. The company recently told their employees that they will have to pay about $200 more each month for their healthcare plan (which is company-sponsored) if they are not vaccinated. Different airlines are conducting different tactics in their quest to try to force their employees to become fully vaccinated.
This recent airline news comes amid new reports that hint that the Delta variant is negatively impacting travel-related companies. Already, airline companies such as Southwest and Frontier have warned their investors that their profits for the third quarter may not meet the high expectations initially forecasted.
Most recently, American Airlines has warned their investors that their August profits will be lower than what was initially forecasted. Earlier in the year, many airlines didn’t necessarily take into account the Delta variant, as it hadn’t yet resulted in a surge in COVID-19 cases. However, now airlines are revealing that the Delta variant has impacted their business, mainly in cancellations and a slowing of bookings.
Airlines around the country have also canceled many flights — for many reasons. Often, labor shortages and functional problems have been to blame. If the Delta variant continues to infect airline employees on a grand scale, this could continue to possibly result in many flight cancelations. To keep this from occurring, many airlines are attempting to keep their business from suffering by mandating vaccines, and hopefully keeping the spread of the virus at bay as much as possible.
The Delta variant has caused COVID-19 cases around the nation (and the world) to surge, especially in areas where many are not vaccinated. As a result, airline companies have had many cancellations, and overall bookings have decreased or slowed down. Airlines aren’t the only travel-related company being impacted by the surge in Delta cases. Airbnb has also come out and expressed a warning about their quarter three profits. Other hotel and short-term rental companies are likely experiencing similar issues.
Worldwide, airline companies are also mandating vaccinations and attempting to keep the Delta variant from completely ruining their 2021 goals. Germany’s Lufthansa recently announced that all of their crew on planes must be fully vaccinated.
Travel-related industries were hit hard at the start of the pandemic, as many laws, regulations, and concerns kept people from flying and traveling. Though more people managed to travel this year, especially once it appeared that the pandemic’s impact was lessening somewhat, many international traveling regulations haven’t yet been lifted.
Now, the Delta variant is once again negatively impacting so many companies in the travel industry.