Nearly all major airlines mandate COVID vaccine for employees

The union representing American Airlines warned that staffing shortages could start as the holiday travel season begins if employees lose their jobs for refusing to get the COVID vaccine. 

"What we're looking for is to ensure that there's a pilot in the cockpit," said Dennis Tajer, the spokesman for Allied Pilots Association. "If you suddenly one day have 4,000-plus pilots that are not able to fly, that's a big deal. That's worse than this past summer."

But the largest pilots association and most major carriers — United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines — confirm they will follow President Biden's executive order requiring workers to get the shots.