White House presses airlines to get employees vaccinated

Two more airlines — Alaska and JetBlue — will require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19

Alaska Airlines and JetBlue are joining United Airlines in requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, just as the Biden administration steps up pressure on major U.S. carriers to require the shots.

White House coronavirus adviser Jeffrey Zients talked to the CEOs of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines about vaccine mandates, according to three people familiar with the situation. They spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because the calls were private.

Airlines are large employers that fall under President Joe Biden's sweeping order that companies with more than 100 workers require employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing for the virus.

They are also government contractors, and so could fall under a Dec. 8 deadline that contractors enforce vaccination requirements — without the testing option.