Southwest Airlines might not ask Covid-19 Tests for Domestic Flights in the US

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The Chairman and CEO of Southwest Airlines, Gary C. Kelly forwarded a letter on Tuesday to President Joe Biden. He asked the Biden administration to refrain from imposing any federal mandate to require a pre-departure Covid-19 test for air travel within the United States. He urged the Biden administration to not make coronavirus testing essential for domestic flights in the US. Point to be noted that the letter was forwarded following a statement made by the US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. He said that there is an active conversation going on with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding potentially mandating coronavirus tests before domestic flights as a way to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. However, Kelly’s reasoning for being against COVID-19 testing before domestic flights stems from the additional costs it would require to do so.

It could adversely affect customers who do not have access to testing resources. Fox News also reported that a spokesperson said the CEO’s letter was also sent to senior officials at the Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He also wrote the pre-flight testing for domestic travel would strain Southwest’s limited national testing capacity that is already struggling to meet demand, especially for people of limited means or those in so-called Testing Desserts. Moreover, Kelly’s letter suggested that a mandate for COVID-19 tests before domestic flights might come a little too late in light of rising vaccination rates and the new downward trend of coronavirus cases. Data from the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard show positive cases have been on the decline since mid-January 2021.

The executives of the Airline Union signed the letter in support of Kelly’s stance, including the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, the Transport Workers Union of America, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Southwest and many other commercial airlines have implemented health and safety measures including enhanced cleaning procedures, HEPA filtration systems, and mandatory face mask wear for staff and passengers along with social distancing. It is noteworthy that Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian expressed criticism against coronavirus testing for domestic flights in a press interview before Kelly’s letter was sent out. Bastian informed the news outlet and said, “The level of travel that we are carrying domestically in the US not just Delta, but across the industry, would be substantially reduced from today’s already low levels if domestic testing was required”.