American Airlines says about 13,000 employees are at risk of furlough when a United States aid package for airline workers expires on April 1, blaming slow vaccine rollouts and new international travel restrictions for dampening demand.
“We are nearly five weeks into 2021, and unfortunately, we find ourselves in a situation similar to much of 2020,” Chief Executive Doug Parker and President Robert Isom said in a memo to employees which was also included in a regulatory filing.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline furloughed 19,000 workers when a previous round of government payroll support ended on October 1 but recalled them in December after a fresh $15bn injection for the industry through March.