COVID-19: REX to Vax mandate

All of the airline’s frontline staff will be required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by 1 November 2021, and like the little engine that could – Rex is boasting that it will be the first Australian airline to reach this goal.

That means that when you board the plane, you can be assured that pilots cabin crew on regional and domestic routes will be vaccinated by November.

Australian Airline vaccination ducks-in-a-row

This will bring REX into line with its competitors, Qantas Group, Virgin Australia and Alliance Airlines.

These airlines have mainly followed a set protocol of surveying staff – seen that vaccination has more than majority support, and the over-ridden requests of unions (who also support vaccination, just not mandates) and mandated vaccination for most if not all staff, anyway.

Survey results

REX is roaring the following results of the staff survey:

• 59% already fully vaxed;
• 31% first vaccination or booking
• 8% undecided
• 2% opposed to vaccination

That sounds pretty representative of the general Australian population

“As we provide an essential service operating to regional centres and remote communities throughout Australia, it is incumbent upon us to do whatever we can to help those residents remain safe and healthy.”

said, rather pompously by

Rex Deputy Chairman, the Hon John Sharp AM

Those 2% of vaccine resistors will be offered non-customer-facing roles if available. Unvaccinated office staff will have to wear a mask at work.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

REX is wisely joining the mandatory vax movement now across all Australian based airlines.

While understanding why Unions support vaccination but not mandates, I have no problem with making the jab compulsory. To me keeping our population safe is a civic duty, and an easy one at that.