REX CREW TO BE DOUBLE DOSED BY NOVEMBER 1
REGIONAL Express airlines has set a November 1 deadline for all frontline crew and customer-facing staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19, two weeks earlier than Qantas and Virgin Australia.
The move will mean all Australian domestic airlines will have fully vaccinated crews.
Virgin Australia and Qantas have also mandated vaccination for staff, with frontline workers expected to be double-jabbed by November 15, and the remainder by March 31, 2022.
But up to 100 flight attendants from both airlines are pushing for an extension to the deadline, so they can receive the protein-based Novavax vaccination currently under development in the US. It is promoted as having fewer side effects than Pfizer or Astrazeneca and Australia has 51 million doses on order. A survey of Rex’s 1400 staff found about 90 per cent were already on track to be fully vaccinated by November 1. As of September 20, 59 per cent had been doubled jabbed and 31 per cent had received their first vaccination or booked an appointment.