United Airlines has been accused of taking US-based flight attendants out of work, using an international London-based crew to operate United States trips to India. The charge comes after thousands of United flight attendants have received federal letters WARN for the second time stating that they are at risk of being released without pay or health benefits when an airline rescue ends in late March.
In recent weeks, London-based Heathrow flight attendants have not only worked on flights between the UK and the US, but also to Delhi and Mumbai. One route involves flight attendants flying from London to Chicago and, after a short stopover, work on a third flight to Delhi and spend a night in India before making the same trip backwards.
Another route involves United’s international crew flying from Heathrow to Newark and then to Mumbai. The Heathrow base in London employs more than 400 flight attendants, some of whom hold an American passport.
Thousands of US-based flight attendants were released in early October, when funds from a federal payroll support program ran out. After flight attendants spent several months without pay or benefits, Congress agreed to an extension of the program on December 28, 2020.
This extension, however, will end in early April. On Friday, United sent WARN notices to about 14,000 employees, providing them with a 60-day legal notice that their jobs were at risk.
Many of the flight attendants who were brought back from the first round of vacations did not work a single flight pending security checks and mandatory training. The lack of flights also means that many flight attendants sit at home without working, but paying in full.
United did not comment on the details of which routes international flight attendants operated on behalf of their colleagues in the United States, but a spokesman said on the matter: “We comply with government regulations to manage our service and flight schedules. United is making adjustments to its crew according to current government regulations. “
Some flight attendants have also expressed concern that UK flight attendants may be exposed to a highly transmissible variant of the covid-19 virus, which was first discovered in southeastern England.
Although passengers now have to pass a test before departure before flying to the United States, the crew is currently exempt from the rules.
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