United Airlines announces biggest pilot job cuts in history

CHICAGO (Reuters) – United Airlines (UAL.O) is gearing up for the largest pilot holidays in its history after announcing Thursday the need to cut 2,850 pilot jobs this year, or about 21% of the total, without further help from the U.S. government.

Airlines, reeling from the devastating impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic on air travel, have asked the US government for an additional $ 25 billion to cover employee payrolls through March.

The first installment, which banned any job cuts until Oct. 1, expires at the end of September, but talks in Washington stall as Congress struggles to reach agreement on a program broader assistance for coronaviruses.

The reductions planned by United, published in a note to employees and shared with the media, would take place between October 1 and November 30. They are significantly higher than the 1900 announced earlier this week by Delta Air Lines (OF NO) and 1600 by American Airlines (AAL.O).

Faced with a declining industry in the coming years, airlines have typically attempted to mitigate the number of forced job cuts by offering early retirement or voluntary departure offers, but some carriers’ offers have been more attractive than others.

“While other airlines have chosen to downsize voluntarily, it is tragic that United has limited these options for our pilots and instead chosen to lay off more pilots than ever before in our history,” The union representing United’s 13,000 pilots said in a statement.

United said the numbers were based on current travel demand for the rest of the year and its planned flight schedule, which it said “continues to be fluid with the resurgence of COVID-19 in areas of the United States. United States”.

Chicago-based United are more exposed than their peers to international travel, which is expected to take longer to recover from the pandemic.

United, which has warned 36,000 jobs are at stake across the company, has yet to provide final leave figures for other task forces.

American said Tuesday it was cutting 19,000 jobs in addition to voluntary cuts that will see the company’s workforce shrink by about 30%.

United’s announcement comes on the final day of the Republican National Convention, where President Donald Trump will attempt to regain momentum amid a pandemic that has killed more than 180,000 Americans and produced a recession that resulted in loss millions of jobs.