American Airlines and United Airlines say they will bring back most of the 32,000 industry workers who have been laid off this year if President Donald Trump signs the stimulus bill approved by Congress.
The bill contains $ 15 billion in payroll support through March for a sector hard hit by travel and business restrictions due to the pandemic, an extension of the $ 25 billion in relief financing that ran out in the fall.
Trump on Tuesday criticized the bill for not spending enough on stimulus checks to individuals, threatening to derail months of negotiations he largely delegated to others.
In a memo released on Monday, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart said that with the new financing, the company “intends to offer temporary employment to thousands of our team members who were affected on September 30. “.
But Kirby and Hart warned that callbacks are unlikely to be permanent.
“The truth is that we just don’t see anything in the data that shows a big difference in reserves in the coming months. That’s why we expect the recall to be temporary. “
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and President Robert Isom released a statement on Monday saying that the extension of the Payroll Support Program “will allow us to bring licensed staff members back to work and resume air service to cities that depend on us – all at a critical time. “
On Tuesday they issued a memo for employees explaining that the airline plans to bring back nearly 19,000 workers. “Although payment and benefits are restored immediately, people will be asked to return to the operation in phases,” they wrote.
Acquisitions, early retirement packages and temporary leave have helped Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines avoid major cuts in their workforce so far, but this month Southwest warned employees that without relief, the airline would have to lay off almost 7,000 employees.
All airlines are feeling the pinch. The International Air Transport Association predicts that major industry losses will continue until 2021.
Still, while the Centers for Disease Control and Protection are asking Americans to stay home this holiday season, last week TSA reported an increase in the number of passengers screened at U.S. airports to about one million passengers per day.
The AAA travel agency predicts that 2.94 million people will travel by plane during the holiday period, about 60 percent less than holiday flyers last year.