Southwest Airlines Requires Its US Employees Get COVID-19 Vaccine, Citing Federal Mandate

A group of Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft sit on the tarmac at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 13, 2019. Ralph Freso/Getty Images

Southwest Airlines will require all of its U.S. employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

U.S.-based employees of the major carrier have to be fully vaccinated or have an approved religious, medical, or disability accommodation by Dec. 8 to keep their jobs.