UH-OH

Southwest Airlines Chief Tests Positive for COVID After Senate Meeting

Kelly tested negative numerous times before the Senate hearing, according to a statement from Southwest.

After attending a Senate meeting with other airline executives and lawmakers, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly has tested positive for COVID-19, the company announced on Friday. On Wednesday afternoon, Kelly, the CEOs of American and United Airlines, Delta Air Lines’ chief of operations, and the president of the country’s largest flight attendant union testified in person for more than three hours at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing about the $54 billion in federal payroll support that airlines took during the pandemic. The Senate meeting probed the airline leaders on many pandemic-related concerns, including whether they foresaw maskless flights in the future.

According to a statement from a Southwest spokesperson, Kelly tested negative multiple times before appearing before the Commerce Committee. Kelly, who is fully vaccinated and received a booster, is experiencing mild symptoms. Delta’s chief of operations has since tested negative, while American and United’s CEOs have not commented.