Southwest CEO tests positive for Covid after downplaying masks on flights
‘I think the case is very strong that masks don’t add much if anything in the air cabin environment,’ airlines boss said during maskless hearing
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Your support makes all the difference.Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly has tested positive for Covid-19 after downplaying the idea that masks should be required on flights.
Mr Kelly testified in front of Congress on Wednesday when he and other airline bosses could be seen maskless. He appeared before lawmakers alongside the CEOs of American and United Airlines, as well as the director of operations for Delta Air Lines and the president of the largest flight attendant’s union in the US.
They spoke for more than three hours at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing about the $54bn of payroll support airlines received in reaction to the decline in air travel during the pandemic.
“Although testing negative multiple times prior to the Senate Commerce Committee Hearing, Gary tested positive for COVID-19 after returning home, experiencing mild symptoms, and taking a PCR test,” a spokesperson told The Independent. “Gary is doing well and currently resting at home, he has been fully vaccinated and received the booster earlier this year. Gary’s symptoms continue to be mild, and each day he is moving closer to a full recovery.”
John Laughter, the director of operations at Delta, sat two spots away from Mr Kelly during Wednesday’s hearing but tested negative for Covid-19 both on Thursday and Friday.
“He will continue to test and take other precautions as necessary,” Delta said in a statement.
American and United Airlines didn’t initially comment on Mr Kelly’s positive test. The senators on the commerce committee probed the airline chiefs on 5G, disruptions to air travel, the airlines’ struggle to hire staff, as well as vaccine and mask mandates.
Mississippi Republican Senator Roger Wicker asked the airline bosses if they could predict when travellers would not need to wear masks on planes.
In response, Mr Kelly, who is expected to leave his job next year, boosted the air filtration and circulations systems on planes.
“I think the case is very strong that masks don’t add much if anything in the air cabin environment,” he said. “It’s very safe, very high quality compared to any other indoor setting.”
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said “I concur” when Mr Kelly finished speaking, but the airline issued a clarification on Thursday, saying that he meant to agree with “comments made by other witnesses about the high quality of aircraft cabin air, and did not intend to cast doubt on the necessity of face masks on planes”.
Mr Parker later said in a statement on Instagram that his company supports the mask mandate and that during the hearing, he “should have been clearer in my response to one question that has led to a misrepresentation of American’s position on the mask mandate”.
While air travel declined during the pandemic, demand has since increased and the airline leaders said they expected a busy period over the Christmas holiday.
According to Reuters, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Sara Nelson, said that Mr Kelly told her he had tested positive for Covid “just as I was returning to work after getting the booster shot. I am following CDC protocols and will test several times within the 5-7 day recommended period, and before travelling with my family for the holidays”.
In a message to Southwest staff that was later shared with The Independent, Mr Kelly said he “emphasized that all of our aircraft are equipped with HEPA filters that remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles, creating a protective environment prior to the added layer of wearing a mask” during the committee hearing.
He added that during the hearing he “confused some with a short answer to a question about masks. So, to be clear, I and Southwest and along with Airlines for America are all aligned and support the current federal mask mandate at airports and on airplanes. There is no effort underway to change it before it expires”.
“Southwest adopted a mask onboard mandate last year, long before the federal government required it. The majority of our Employees and Customers have felt it has been an important layer of protection, and I certainly agree with that,” he added. “So we’ll continue to rely on the advice of our medical experts regarding the necessity of masks.”
The Biden administration extended the mask mandates on planes and other modes of transportation earlier this month, through 18 March.
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