Delta rolling out Covid-19 testing for all employees
Delta Air Lines will launch a full companywide program to test employees for the Covid-19 virus and antibodies.
President Ed Bastion says infection rates among the workforce have been low at around five times lower than the national average as of May.
However, it will still implement a testing program that will ‘evolve into a full testing protocol’.
"This is something that will be essential to begin the return to normal operations," he said.
Delta has teamed up with the Mayo Clinic and Quest Diagnostics Inc and will start testing next week.
The testing program will kick off in Minneapolis, followed by Atlanta, Detroit and New York.
"As the economy begins to recover and travel demand rises, we know that ongoing Covid testing is going to be another critical component in your safety," Bastion added.
Delta has almost 90,000 employees although the pandemic has led to many going on unpaid leave and lay-offs are likely after the summer.
"Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our colleagues and our customers," said Mike Medeiros, Delta’s head of global cleanliness.
Delta said this week it plans to continue blocking the middle seat until the end of September to enable social distancing aboard flights.
That will limit the number of passengers in economy to 60% of capacity.
"We’ll re-evaluate. If we gradually lift it at that point we’ll see how the consumer confidence has grown," Bastian said.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers