Unlike its competitors United or Hawaiian Airlines, the American airline Delta Airlines does not impose the compulsory vaccine on its employees. However, it will seize its 25% of unvaccinated employees in the portfolio. Thus, it will force them to be tested every week and increase by 200 dollars (170 euros) per month the premium they must pay to their health insurance.
Delta boss Ed Bastian leans on the final approval of the Pfizer vaccine: “With the announcement this week that the FDA [Food and Drug Administration, agence américaine responsable de la pharmacovigilance] fully endorsed the Pfizer vaccine, the time has come for you to get vaccinated ”, writes in a memo the general manager of the company to his collaborators.
“Financial risk”
In detail, from September 12, unvaccinated employees will have to be tested every week and, from September 1er October, sick leave due to Covid-19 will only be granted to the vaccinated. Finally, at the beginning of November, their insurance premium will increase by $ 200. The leader of Delta recalls that hospitalization linked to contamination with SARS-CoV-2 can cost him up to $ 50,000.
In recent weeks, all airline employees hospitalized for this reason were not vaccinated. “This supplement will be necessary to face the financial risk that the decision not to vaccinate creates for our company”, concludes Ed Bastian.