Thousands of American Airlines and United Airlines employees were given furlough notices early Thursday morning after Congress failed to come to an agreement to extend the CARES Act, which expired Sept. 30.  

Up to 32,000 airline employees are now in danger of furlough, though airline companies have committed to bringing their employees back to work if Congress can agree on an aid package in the coming days.  

Airlines have been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, with air travel down by more than 70% across the board, according to Airlines for America, an airline industry trade group. Aid for airline workers has bipartisan support, but the White House and Senate couldn’t agree by the deadline since the aid, called the Payroll Support Program, was tied to a larger coronavirus aid package. 

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, a $2.2 trillion aid package, was originally passed by Congress in March and was intended to mitigate the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The package included $32 billion for the airline industry, and was set to expire before Oct. 1.  

“It’s just been a really discouraging day,” said Katie Collopy, a flight attendant from Phoenix who has been employed with United Airlines for the past 30 years.

Collopy organized a rally on Sept. 22 outside U.S. Sen. Martha McSally’s office, urging her to support an extension of the Payroll Support Program.

Collopy said she was counting on Congress to pass the extension, and though she wasn’t among those furloughed, she’s concerned about the impact it could have in the industry and beyond. 

Furloughs could cause a ‘ripple effect’ on airline industry and beyond

In the airline industry, furloughs — even short-term furloughs — could have a devastating impact, workers warn. 

“We have to keep current per FAA guidelines,” said Collopy. “Even these couple days make differences of when flight attendants do their yearly training, when pilots do their landings training. We can’t just, at the drop of a hat, be back at work.” 

Interruptions in the airline industry could also have widespread consequences beyond furloughed employees or inconvenienced travelers. Many passenger airlines also transport cargo. American Airlines, for example, delivers 100 million pounds of cargo each week, according to its website.

Other airlines at risk

Southwest Airlines has not begun furloughs, but CEO Gary Kelly warned employees in a video message released Thursday that they could be forced to take actions similar to United and American’s.

“We’re not immune to this,” Kelly said. “If the PSP extension fails, as we have warned for months, we’ll be forced to find a way to further reduce our spending, reduce our salaries, wages and benefits specifically, by seeking concessions or, as a last resort, layoffs and furloughs.”

Southwest Airlines is Arizona’s 36th largest employer, while American Airlines is its 13th largest. 

Delta Air Lines has also managed to avoid furloughs, at least until Nov. 1, CEO Ed Bastian announced Thursday.

While many in the aviation field are hoping that Congress will pass the Payroll Support Program in the coming days, airline companies and unions are backing stand-alone bills coming through the House and Senate. 

Collopy said she still has hope that the bill will pass, but expressed frustration with Congress’ members for failing to come together.

“They don’t have to worry about this,” she said. “They don’t have to worry about paying their mortgage or feeding their families or receiving their medicine … they’re set.” 

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or on Twitter @Mkayackley.

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