'We can move quickly': Airline CEO optimistic about mandatory vaccination policies
CBC
The CEO of a Canadian airline is on board with the timeline for the implementation of new mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies in the transportation sector, adding it should help boost confidence in travellers.
"It gives a clear path, clear direction," Flair Airlines CEO Stephen Jones said in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live on Sunday.
"It's just really going to build the confidence back into the industry, and clearly it's sorely needed," the head of the discount carrier told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton. Jones said that after a "booming summer" for his company, the return of higher COVID-19 cases and changing seasons meant bookings have "slackened off."
The federal government announced a series of new mandatory vaccination policies this week. Some cover the "core" public service, while others target the transportation sector. As of Oct. 30, all workers in the federally regulated transportation sector will need to be vaccinated.
Similarly, all travellers departing Canadian airports and on VIA Rail or Rocky Mountaineer passenger trains will need to be vaccinated by the end of this month.
How exactly the rules will be implemented is still a work in progress, Jones said, but it will likely involve uploading vaccine certificates during the booking process, before they are checked by an employee at some point before boarding.
"We're prepared for it to be at the gate," he said, likening it to existing checks for identification.
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