A Delta Airlines passenger plane approaches to land at LAX during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Los Angeles, California, United States, April 7, 2021.
Mike Blake | Reuter
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Delta Air Lines this month ended its $200 monthly surcharge on company health insurance for unvaccinated employees, ending a pandemic policy designed to encourage staff to get vaccinated against Covid-19 .
CEO Ed Bastian announced the policy change during a call Wednesday to discuss the airline’s first-quarter results and outlook.
“We lowered the additional insurance surcharge starting this month given that we really believe the pandemic has shifted to a seasonal virus,” Bastian said. “Employees who have not been vaccinated will not pay additional insurance costs in the future. »
Delta announced the policy last August would take effect in November 2021. At the time, Bastian said the average hospital stay for an employee with Covid-19 costs Delta $50,000.
More than 95% of Delta’s more than 75,000 employees have been vaccinated, according to the company. He also began requiring all new recruits to show proof of vaccination.
United Airlines had the strictest vaccination policy of any American airline, requiring staff to be vaccinated or face dismissal without exemption for religious or medical reasons. Employees with housing would be moved from customer service-related roles, United said.
More than 96% of the approximately 67,000 American employees of this airline have been vaccinated.
Last month, United said it would allow unvaccinated workers who received an exemption to return to regular work, citing a drop in Covid cases.
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