Chicago
United Airlines said on Friday it warned some 14,000 employees that they might be furloughed. Consequently
aviation unions made a new request to the Congress and President Joe Biden for another $15 billion in government assistance to keep workers on the payroll through at least Sept. 30. Chicago-based United warned that once a second round of payroll support expires on April 1, airlines could be forced to make drastic new cuts as the coronavirus pandemic has slashed demand for air travel. United had recalled 13,000 employees from furlough when a $15 billion airline industry payroll package was passed in December to protect jobs through March. “Despite ongoing efforts to distribute vaccines, customer demand has not changed much,” United told employees, while saying it was monitoring demand and advocating for continued government support. The $15 billion in December helped bring back more than 32,000 airline employees and followed a $50 billion package in March for passenger airlines divided between payroll assistance and low-cost government loans. .— Reuters
