A Boeing 737-800 from United Airlines and an Airbus A320 from United Airlines as it approaches San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco.
Louis Nastro | Reuters
United Airlines said the jobs of some 14,000 employees are at risk when a second round of federal aid expires this spring, the latest sign of how the industry is struggling to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Companies are legally obliged to inform employees in advance if their jobs are at risk and that does not mean that they will end up losing their jobs. United is taking new voluntary measures to reduce its workforce.
United and American Airlines recently started calling back thousands of employees they laid off when the first round of government payroll support expired in the fall. Congress approved additional aid last year for the industry, on condition that they call back licensed workers and maintain payrolls until March 31. United told officials last year that the returns were likely to be temporary.
“Despite ongoing efforts to distribute vaccines, customer demand has not changed much since we called these employees back,” the airline said in a team note on Friday, which was seen by CNBC. “When the recalls started, United said that most of the recalled employees would return to their previous status as a result of the autumn leave around April 1.”