Hawaiian Faces Setback as United Plans To Make Headway

Hawaii’s Airlines Battle For Customers With Vaccination Mandates And Controversy

United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, spoke at their third-quarter earnings call this week and said that “customers can book with confidence on United. If you are booking on an airline that doesn’t have a vaccine requirement, they’ve got government rules they have to follow and caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).” He pointed to the possibility of serious problems ahead in operations at other airlines. United is one of the leading airlines to Hawaii. It is poised for another round of island expansion in 2022.

One particular airline was UAL was referring to was not mentioned by name. That airline is Southwest since their employees can continue working if they want an exemption to the vaccine mandate and test regularly.

You’ll recall that Southwest had a meltdown that reached Hawaii less than two weeks ago. It remains unclear what the cause of Southwest’s problems was, although it remains rumored to have at least in part been related to pending employee vaccination mandates, especially for pilots.

Hawaiian Airlines has mandated all of its employees be vaccinated. 

In August, Hawaii bellwether Hawaiian Airlines issued an employee vaccine mandate. CEO Peter Ingram said that all US-based employees must be vaccinated by November 1.

Alaska Airlines employees must also be vaccinated.

Earlier this month, Hawaii-centric Alaska Airlines announced its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees. That was a shift from last month when the company said that vaccination was encouraged and financially rewarded. From now on, “all employees will now be required to be fully vaccinated or be approved for a reasonable accommodation.”

American Airlines and its pilots’ union disagree.

American Airlines has said that the company won’t accede to their pilots’ union attempt to permit “alternatives” to a vaccine mandate for employees. The federal government has said that contractors’ (airline) employees must be fully vaccinated by December 8. AA’s CEO said, “our team members need to be vaccinated. It’s really important for our business, for our company, to get the pandemic under control. We want every one of our team members to be vaccinated and, equally important, we want every one of our team members to have a job and continue to work at American.”

Pilots’ union speaks up about bigger issue Airline safety first, vaccinations second.

In another clear shot at Texas-based Southwest Airlines and especially American Airlines, pilots are being admonished to focus on safety rather than vaccine mandates.

The Allied Pilots Association representing American Airlines said, “Distractions cannot affect safety. We are seeing distractions in the flight deck that can create dangerous situations.”

Are you more inclined to fly an airline that requires all employees to be vaccinated?

 

 

86 thoughts on “Hawaii’s Airlines Battle For Customers With Vaccination Mandates And Controversy”

  1. Valerie F:
    How do you live with it around people like you if you have had 4 kidney transplants and a compromised immune system?

  2. NO to mandates—do your own risk assessment. If you have health issues, then do what you need to do. Flying is cleaner than it has ever been anyway and I feel safer now!!
    I have always wiped down my area before seating back when people would look at me like I am a germaphobe—
    this has gotten way out of hand. Time to move on and live with it.

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  3. “No” to your question “Are you more inclined to fly an airline that requires all employees to be vaccinated?” Absolutely the opposite. I am about to book a flight from Kona to Oahu. I just checked to see who has mandates for employees. I see that Hawaiian does so I am booking with Southwest even though the hours less convenient. Our governments are not following the science. Thank you. Katherine R

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  4. The problem here is that people think if all are vaccinated, somehow the virus magically disappears or prevents them (the vaccinated) from getting it. That’s just not the case. If you’re the one vaccinated the other people being vaccinated has nothing to do with you! It’s like a meme I saw…

    “I hate allergy season. I took my Claritin but no one else did so it’s not working…”

    Don’t force a mandate if you’re expecting to be safe. You do you and don’t worry about the others.

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  5. No I am not inclined to fly on airlines requiring. I support you should have a choice to inject in your body or not…a few of my vaccinated friends getting Covid.

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  6. There are now over 80 published scientific studies that show natural immunity is more robust than the vaccine. We are also seeing the vaccine effectiveness decreasing after 6 months. How long will the “fully vaccinated” be considered “fully vaccinated”? How many boosters will be mandating to be considered “fully vaccinated”? This nonsense has gone on long enough. If we want to continue hurting the economy, ruining our country, & destroying an a already short handed work force, keep the mandates.

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  7. The answer to your question us NO! I don’t believe the government(white house) should be mandating anything. If they think everyone should be vaccinated then pass a law, don’t mandate. Also, if the vaccine works then the people that decide to not get vaccinated won’t be doing harm to anyone except their self and maybe like minded others that decided not to get vaccinated. I will be flying Southwest to Maui this January unless Hawaii decides to Mandate too many more crazy rules!!

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  8. BoH – “Are you more inclined to fly an airline that requires all employees to be vaccinated?”
    Nope, not at all…and why would it matter, when it makes no difference if both vaccinated and unvaccinated people are contracting and transmitting the virus? The mass media’s illusion that it’s safer for vaccinated people to fly is a Myth.

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  9. In all probability there will be a price to be paid somewhere down the road for those not adhering to the rules.

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  10. Thank you for the car rental information. As for me, I will not return to Hawaii until the prices come down, way down

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    1. I’m still going just going to Uber to resort and get plenty of exercise walking to my favorite places.

  11. The last point in your article is most crucial of all, politicizing this issue has seeped into the cockpit and that’s dangerous. Personally I would avoid AA and SWA for that reasons more then the few that are not vaxed. It appears that Texas spirit has gotten a little out of hand there. APA made that statement based on true incidents.

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    1. “…politicizing this issue has seeped into the cockpit and that’s dangerous. Personally I would avoid AA and SWA for that reasons…”

      🤦‍♂️ The irony…making your point by fear-mongering isn’t any better. At this point there’s Zero correlation between pilots taking a stand for their “right Not to be forced into taking a drug that can disable or kill them” and “safety in the skies”. Frankly, the exact opposite (since people have died) could be more reasonably argued as “dangerous”. 🤷‍♂️

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      1. Distractions in the cockpit are dangerous, a crew at odds with each other is a potential danger and their are some very militant vaxer and anti vaxer personalities as we have all seen. This is similar to the conflict mergers can cause or a strike. It can get out of hand. Again this has gone beyond personal choice and been politicized…..that’s dangerous in the cockpit. So definitely not your “zero correlation”.
        Otherwise APA wouldn’t have said it themselves.

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        1. JOHNW. There have been no recorded incidents of cockpit dissension regarding imaginary vax or no-vax flight crews.

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          1. Curtis, read the last sentence of the article, the American Airlines pilots union would beg to differ…..think I’ll go with their
            perspective.

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          2. “The Allied Pilots Association representing American Airlines said, “Distractions cannot affect safety. We are seeing distractions in the flight deck that can create dangerous situations.” ”

            Again, CAN is the operative word, and you don’t seem to grasp that. At this point, Curtis is 100% correct, since presumption is not fact. A comment like this, from the Allied Pilots Association, is subjective opinion, likely from Management, and it could be misleading. So, until it’s Fact, it’s NOT.

          3. My stepson is a Captain with SWA and said that no vaccination dissension has seeped into the cockpit. Flying is as safe as ever. I’ll go with his perspective

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          4. Curtis, good on your stepson, he’s likely doing a good job like most pilots of keeping politics out of the cockpit.
            But the unions at AA and SWA who get feedback from a lot of pilots are saying something different. Some crews are not doing as good a job as your stepson.

        2. 🙄 You have opinions, great John, but you have Zero proof of any correlation between “distractions”, “militant personalities”, and what’s going on “in the cockpit”. Saying “It can get out of hand” is opinionated conjecture and has no basis in fact. It’s frankly disrespectful to pilots, 99% whom take the safety of their crew & passengers 100% seriously. This was politicized division long before SWA made this supporting decision, and it’s always been about personal choice, for half the country.

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          1. Jim, you somehow think you are correct and the statement by APA is false? One of the major enhancements to airline safety in the last 30 years has been the development of Cockpit Resource Management training. It’s been crucial to eliminating the many accidents that had been caused by crews letting personality differences interfere with the job at hand. You have no clue what my background is nor I yours😀.

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          2. John, I did not infer/imply that the statement made by the APA is false at all. In fact, I said “presumption is not fact” and that it was “subjective opinion”.

            Yes, I am correct, as you have yet to prove anything, and all you’ve done to this point is deflect. You were point blank asked by Curtis, “JOHNW, please list the “many accidents” that have been caused by personality differences.”.

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          3. Jim you seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding about the relationship between APA and management. In addition, your “vaccine is dangerous “ mantra is supported by proven spreaders of misinformation like America’s Frontline Doctors/Q anon/ Mercola etc. That should at least give you some skepticism on that side of the debate.
            The vaccines are saving lives on a mass scale, not ending them.

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          4. John, I do understand what the role of the APA is. I also understand they have a leadership structure, which I referred to as “management”. Don’t conflate my words into your own definition.

            I don’t have a “mantra”. I made an direct point that the argument could be made that a pilot could be affected by the vaccine, as it has disabled and killed people.

          5. You have been called out and asked a few times now, to provide proof of what you are claiming. Show the “correlation” (not opinion or conjecture) between “distractions-in the cockpit”, “personality differences”/”militant vaxer/anti-vaxer personalities”, and these supposed “many accidents that had been caused by crews letting personality differences interfere with the job at hand”.

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          6. Just saw this….the accident’s are too extensive to mention all. Tenirefe, United DC 8 in PDX , the list goes on and on of accidents caused by a poor crew dynamics. . Fortunately, thanks to CRM training it happens much less often. Don’t take my word for it , google CRM and aircraft accident. The other end of the spectrum, United at Iowa City saved lives by using their CRM training.

          7. Ummm, John, what’s with the red herring? I never suggested CRM doesn’t work or it’s a bad thing. I understand that it works. It’s called the Human Factor and this is why CRM evolved. Both of those disasters were definitely bad pilot decision making due to distractions; however, neither show any “correlation between “distractions-in the cockpit” with “personality differences” and the supposed “many accidents that have been caused by personality differences.” …🤦‍♂️

  12. I’m against all of these not so thought out mandates. Maybe all of our so called politicians should be mandated to care for its citizens in stead of power grabbing. So to answer to the question, yes I would.

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  13. We’ve flown on 10 SWA flights in the last year. Our contacts with the flight attendants last approximately 45 seconds per flight. That is when they hand us our beverage and bag of pretzels. We have absolutely no contact with the flight crew. I haven’t felt the least bit threatened as to whether any of them are vaccinated or not.

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    1. I have flown more, since this started, and I have had one interaction with a Pilot (SWA) who was flying on his last flight before retiring. The conversation was all of 20 seconds, as we walked the gateway to the terminal, where there were some crew and (it appeared) a few family members that were allowed to meet him as a surprise, as he deplaned.

      Softest touchdown in (at least) the last 3 years of flying, by the way, and he was a pleasure to chat with. I bet he’s now glad he retired then…

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  14. I have lost about 40% of my lung function from a rare genetic disease that is progressive. I want to travel as much as I can before I become oxygen dependent. I will NOT fly on an airline that does not require employees to be vaccinated to protect me from getting infected by them. Yes I know all risks can’t be eliminated, but vaccination helps protect people like me. A big THANK YOU to everyone who makes an effort to protect others from COVID!

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    1. You’re at greater risk from someone who has been vaccinated, and is Not tested before getting on a plane, than someone who is Not vaccinated, has tested Negative and is allowed to get on the same plane. I’m afraid you’ve been duped into believing a fallacy, if you think that the vaccinated who aren’t being tested are safer to fly with than the unvaccinated who tests negative.

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  15. After a lifetime of Hawaii travel, including UH-Hilo for grad work back in 1975, I can’t believe what’s happened to the islands. I’m not reading about the many residents/business owners and those who own rentals, who have suffered under crushing and changing policies. How many businesses have closed, how many empty strip malls/shops/closed businesses actually are there now/percentages of closed businesses and rental losses? Why weren’t covid funds used for them/hospital upgrades? Thank you.

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  16. I read that Delta Airlines has decided not to mandate vaccinations of their employees. That airline wasn’t mentioned in the article. I’m sorry that the other airlines are agreeing to the pressure from the government. Only medical personnel should be making those decisions.

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