I agree, but a religious accommodation isn't granted based on what your specific job is or who you interact with. United still had to provide a "reasonable accommodation". Taking away pay and all benefits isn't reasonable just because you work around people. The article's lawsuit wasn't awarded based on her not being a threat to other people. It was awarded on being denied a religious accommodation.

Even if being around people plays a factor in the United case... I'm willing to bet part of the argument will be that Kirby will have to prove his mandate improved the lives of passengers and co-workers. None of the other airlines had such a mandate and they were just fine. United is the outlier here. IMO, the only argument Kirby has is that he was just trying to be safe and going by expert opinion at the time. That's all well and fair except that in January 2022, the vaccine manufacturer's own CEO publicly stated "the first two doses had little effect, if any." Kirby still kept the two dose mandate in place for another 3 or 4 months after that.