Contrary to previous assertions that an outbreak of omicron led to flight cancellations, recently fired pilots who refused to receive the vaccine said they would have been able to prevent the disruptions after normal flight crews called in sick over the Christmas holiday.
Sunday saw a total of 5,936 delays and 1,387 cancellations of flights, American Greatness reported. That included more than 200 flights from United, which saw about 10% of its schedule get canceled.
But while United’s spokesperson called it “unexpected” the warning sighs have been openly debated since October, when the airline began mass layoffs of vaccine-reluctant staff.
The Airline Employees 4 Health Freedom at least 354 pilots in its organization have been put on unpaid leave, although United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, previously testified that only 80 of its pilots were on leave.
“We did this for safety,” Kirby claimed during a subsequent court hearing. “We believe it saved lives. I think that’s my number one obligation—is safety.”
But United employees challenged that assertion.
“It is time for Mr. Kirby to stop claiming that he instituted his vaccine mandate for safety reasons,” they wrote in a letter.
Sherry Walker, a United Airlines pilot, and the cofounder of Airline Employees 4 Health Freedom, told the Daily Signal podcast that she would have been ready to return at a moment’s notice if the airline ended its oppressive policy.
But until it does, she she’s being forced to follow her conscience and stand on her convictions.
“I cannot wake up some day in 10 years and my kid turns to me and says, ‘Mom, you had a chance to fix this and you didn’t and you left me this mess,’” Walker said of her activist efforts to restore her job.
“So I’m going to fight till the end for my religious faith and that of my coworkers,” she continued. And if that means that I’m done flying, I guess I have a bigger fight God put in front of me.”
