Expedia Wants Vaccination For All, But Not A Must For Its Employees
Nikki Attkisson | Last Updated : August 9, 2021Expedia is resisting the calls to issue a companywide vaccine mandate. But its competitors are batting for it. The company is trying to find a solution that is applicable to the entire structure, but there is not a single answer.
The announcement comes in the wake of United Airlines asking its employees either to get vaccinated or face termination. This is one of the most stringent vaccination policies in the travel industry.
If the entire country was vaccinated, the Delta variant would never have risen. But the world is big. And no one can vaccinate 8000000000 people in a fortnight, the company said.
Expedia Wants Vaccination For All, But Not A Must For Its Employees
The issuance of a vaccine mandate is sure to put pressure on its competitors. United Airlines requires its more than 67000 employees in the US to get vaccinated before October 25. Within hours, a discount carrier Frontier Airlines asked its staff to get vaccinated before October 1st. Otherwise, they will be required to undergo weekly COVID 19 testing.
The companies like Delta Airlines are offering incentives to their employees or customers who receive the shot against the Coronavirus. And they are resisting the call to make it mandatory. However, it began requiring new employees to submit proof of vaccination from the month of May. Corporate giants like Facebook require their employees to show proof of vaccination before they can return to the office. Other firms have issued vaccine mandate for certain groups of staff. Walmart, for instance, requires its corporate staff to be vaccinated. It is not a must for its warehouse and store employees. Uber requires its office staff to be vaccinated to return to the office, but not a must for its drivers. Meatpacker Tyson Foods has asked its employees to get vaccinated before the end of the year. Southwest Airlines says its policy remains unchanged for the time being. For others, issuing vaccine mandates is not for businesses, but for the local authorities.
Expedia has offices in 55 countries. And there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The company wants everyone to get vaccinated. Businesses across the globe are trying their best to turn their employees in the right direction, it said.
The current surge of the Delta variant is causing havoc in the travel industry all over the world. The company did see great demand during the summer. And it is still going strong.
The extension of delays in returning to the office is having its toll on the industry. But the company expects that its corporate and other bookings will get on track by next summer.
The travel industry showed signs of returning to normalcy in April. At that time, Expedia switched its marketing strategy. It changed its focus from increasing the number of bookings and began helping corporate and others to plan their trips. The company also cut its expenditure and saved up to $3.2 billion when the pandemic was at its highest. The company will invest smartly, better and in an organized manner in the future. Furthermore, the company’s brands will no longer compete with each other. They will work in unison.
Expedia announced on Thursday, a per-share adjusted second-quarter loss of $1.13. Investors, however, had expected a loss of 65 cents per share. The revenue of $2.11 billion was more than what analysts expected. It showed a 273% increase from the pandemic-stressed numbers of last year, but less than the pre-pandemic second quarter of 2019.
As the Delta variant spreads faster, more and more businesses are expected to issue vaccine mandates. But most of them focus more on encouragement, rather than on mandates. There are also those who oppose a blanket vaccine mandate.
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With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.