Alaska Airways will give vaccinated workers $ 200 in breach of the corporate’s mandate

Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-214 arrives at Los Angeles International Airport on September 15, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

AaronP / Bauer-Griffin | GC images | Getty Images

Alaska Airlines will require unvaccinated employees to be tested for Covid-19 on a regular basis, but the Seattle-based airline has failed to mandate vaccines, a policy it was considering last month.

Alaska said that employees who produce proof of vaccination by October 15 will receive a $ 200 bonus. Three quarters of the airline’s around 20,000 employees have been vaccinated so far.

Airlines’ vaccination policies for their employees vary. United Airlines will require its approximately 68,000 US employees to be vaccinated by September 27, excluding religious and medical exemptions. Delta Air Lines announced last month that it would charge a $ 200 surcharge for health insurance for unvaccinated employees in November.

Alaska Airlines said it will no longer pay unvaccinated employees for Covid exposure or infection. Unvaccinated personnel must also take part in a “vaccination training program”.

New employees must be vaccinated to work at Alaska Airlines or its subsidiary Horizon Air. This is also a prerequisite for working at Delta.