American Airlines says Biden's vaccine mandate 'supersedes' Texas' order

American Airlines
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both say they'll defy Texas' new COVID-19 vaccine mandate ban and adhere to the federal mandate from President Biden, Bloomberg reports.

After Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Monday issued a new executive order banning "any entity" from imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, American Airlines said, "We believe the federal vaccine mandate supersedes any conflicting state laws, and this does not change anything for American," per Bloomberg. Similarly, Southwest said, "We would be expected to comply with the president's order to remain compliant as a federal contractor." Both airlines have their headquarters in Texas and are requiring employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.