Last week American Airlines CEO Officer John Bass released a statement saying that he was “greatly disappointed” that the company would not enforce its new vaccine policy. The policy, which covers chickens and other animals used for food, has been strongly enforced by the airline. If you’re a pet owner, you probably know that your pet is at risk when traveling on an aircraft. There have been multiple reports of people contracting chicken pox or other diseases while traveling on an American Airlines plane.
However, the company states that it has received new information that makes it unable to implement the new policy. In the past, the company had insisted that all of the vaccines be carried in special containers that could not be opened during transport. Now, according to the company, it has discovered that some of the vaccines may need to be opened during travel. They are calling on all of its passengers to refrain from touching the animal product products, and to clean and sanitize their hands before putting the things in their carry-on luggage. It is hoped that this new policy will help reduce the risk of anyone contracting a disease while traveling.
The new policy is only effective until the Department of Health makes their determination about the new policy. The CDC is currently reviewing the safety of the new policy. No final decision has been made as of yet. You can keep checking back on American Airlines for more details. Some airlines have already implemented the new policy on their flights, and others are reviewing it.
What’s so important about these policies? Science is not perfect, and neither is the FDA. As with all scientific discoveries there will always be new problems and risks. But one thing that we do know is that the technology itself is constantly advancing, and that includes vaccines. If there was a vaccine to prevent bird flu or swine flu, wouldn’t it be worth a shot? Why wouldn’t the company that developed the vaccine want to make sure that their product works as good as possible?
This kind of concern is also good for the rest of us. When American Airlines first announced their new policy, some travelers were upset. But now that the company has implemented it, more people are back on the plane with them. This is because they understand that there is no use in getting mad at the airline for having a security precaution, but we also realize that this can be a benefit to us as well.
Also, the company states that they are also testing out a new Lufthansa seat-belts system that would allow you to put your seat belt on if you are allergic to animal proteins. So far, these tests seem to show positive results, but this won’t be known for sure until after the tests are completed. This means that American Airlines will not be putting animal proteins in their food anymore, but only humans.
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