In a letter to employees Wednesday, American Airlines said it will begin the process of furloughing 19,000 employees with the end of its payroll support program on September 30th.
US CEO Doug Parker said he had spoken personally with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who told him that a bipartisan COVID-19 relief package that would extend the PSP is possible within the coming days.
“Please keep in contact with elected officials about the importance of reaching an agreement,” Parker wrote.
United Airlines also said it will forcibly take out more than 13,000 employees as of Thursday.
The carrier previously reported 36,000 employees that they faced potential job cuts, but was able to reduce that number to 16,000 through various voluntary takeover and early retirement programs. The carrier has since said it has been able to reduce the total number of holidays by working with union partners, introducing new voluntary options and proposing creative solutions that will create jobs.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, United had fewer than 100,000 employees.
WLS-TV and ABC News contributed to this report.
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