The American Airlines subsidiary, Piedmont Airlines, discouraged pilots from achieving this COVID vaccines last weekend “due to high demand” to fly, according to a note obtained by CBS News.
In a note sent last Wednesday, Piedmont Airlines chief pilot John Pursell told the regional company’s 500 pilots, “Piedmont will not be able to release any additional pilots for vaccination against COVID over the weekend of on March 21 due to high demand “.
Travel demand has been rising throughout March, reaching a pandemic peak of more than 1.5 million passenger screens at TSA checks on Sunday.
Pursell told pilots they should “try to schedule later in the month” so the airline could maintain “operational reliability.”
Piedmont is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines based in Charlotte, North Carolina and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The regional carrier operates 50-seat Embraer E-145 aircraft.
An airline source told CBS News that several pilots were denied free time to get a vaccine against COVID last weekend due to a lack of enough reserve pilots to cover their shifts. . The source added that while employees are happy that the airline is busy again, “pilots need to be protected … without pay.”
The FAA does not allow pilots to fly for 48 hours after receiving a vaccine against COVID-19, a regulation that could strain the airline’s ability to keep pace with rising demand for travel. “Operate close to the capacity of both aircraft and available crews,” according to the note.
“We fully recognize the desire to be vaccinated as soon as possible,” said another note titled “COVID-19 Vaccination Policy” sent to all Piedmont pilots on March 11 and obtained by CBS News. “While we encourage all pilots to be vaccinated, the requirement to wait 48 hours before returning to flight service is causing serious crew coverage issues.”
The note says the airline will provide “maximum time flexibility,” but told pilots that they must make every effort to schedule the single-shot vaccine or the first shot of a two-shot vaccine during their rest time and when the 48- the period after the hours will not interfere with their flight schedule. “
Vaccine appointments in many states remain scarce.
The airline said last weekend Charlotte Airport hosted a vaccination clinic for airport employees, including those working in Piedmont. The airline has a crew base at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and says it granted permission to as many pilots as it could without canceling flights, prompting the March 17 email.
“Piedmont is strongly encouraging all members of our team to get vaccinated and offers an incentive to do so,” Piedmont’s director of corporate communications Crystal Byrd said in a statement. “Because of our pilots’ FAA requirements to stay out of work after the vaccine, we are doing our best to offer flexibility and meet the needs of our clients.”
Byrd said pilots are “encouraged to work with their leadership team to get the free time they need to receive the vaccine.”
The airline believes it is unlikely that a similar situation will occur again involving a major vaccination event at an airport concentrated on a busy travel weekend.