Posted on 10/11/2021 8:15:03 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
Conservative figures and politicians opposing vaccine and mask mandates have blamed more than 2,000 recent flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines on vaccine mandates, but both the airline and pilots union have said the massive number of flight disruptions had nothing to do with it.
That didn't stop some politicians, like former president Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and Rep. Andy Biggs from Arizona, from trying to link the cancellations to federal vaccine mandates even though they offered no evidence of it.
"The weekend challenges were not a result of Southwest Employee demonstrations, as some are reporting," a spokesperson with the airline told BuzzFeed News.
False rumors online suggested the cancellations may have been linked to pilots walking off the job or calling in sick to protest mandatory vaccinations for COVID-19, which the company is requiring all employees to get by Dec. 8. The company requirement comes after President Joe Biden in September issued a mandate for COVID vaccines for federal employees, federal contractors, and companies with more than 100 employees.
But the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, which represents nearly 10,000 pilots, pushed back repeatedly against reports that pilots protesting the vaccine mandate were behind the massive number of cancellations.
SNIP
However, the senator appeared to ignore the bulk of the article, which cited Southwest Airlines blaming air traffic control issues and bad weather for many of the cancellations. The article also discussed at length personnel shortages, pilot fatigue, and disruptions that the company has faced.
The quote noted by Cruz about mandates referred to a union post on fatigue and disruptions faced by the pilots and that vaccine mandates "exacerbates the situation."
SNIP
(Excerpt) Read more at buzzfeednews.com ...
Riiiiiiigghht. 🙄
It's "smart" weather. Like your phone.
The union can’t say it was over that, it would be an illegal work action.
What I’m hearing is this is caused mostly by ATC sick outs in protest of the vaccine mandate. Two regional ATC centers are effected, one in Florida and the other in New York.
That theory doesn’t work cause southwest had massive disruptions while other airlines had none
But why would it mainly affect Southwest and not other airlines?
coinidentally i rode SW for the first time a couple of weeks ago.
Great piloting and great hospitality. I was pleasantly shocked since somehow i had been led to expect the opposite...
Weather, ATC, pilot fatigue?
Absurd.
Are they really so stupid to think that is believable?
And Joe Biden is the most popular president in history.
I’m an airline pilot. There may not be an outward union supported work stoppage (illegal) but there may be a word of mouth that “throttles” the available work force. Personally me, not taking the vax and know a lot of other guys with the same mindset. Take guys out (already short) with my company that moves 3% of the GDP is a disaster. This needs to be a personal choice (period).
Weather, ATC, pilot fatigue
-I think the pilots are sick of the BS
All flights flying then in one day.... 1000’s not flying.
One would have to be pretty stupid to think that was not tied to a sudden action.
OF COURSE NOT!!
The union cannot admit that they are having a Sick Out action. I believe there’s still a law forbidding strikes by government employees against the public safety. That would bring federal action against them from the administrative stasi. But the union can’t control the actions of individuals in their private lives. So, of course they’re not shutting down the airline industry over vaccine mandates. It’s just coincidence that they all caught the sniffles at the same time.
“Pravda Reports Record Grain Harvest!”
[While millions starve.]
Welcome to Soviet America.
Right.. and Epstein killed himself, right?
Perhaps the pilots’ Union didn’t specifically call for a walkout, but it doesn’t mean they don’t tacitly approve of it. The other airlines only cancelled 60+ flights, so that ATC and weather bullsheit is just that.
What mandate? As far as I know no mandate has actually been published, just talked about.
But why would it mainly affect Southwest and not other airlines?
Exactly
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