American has warned that 13,000 employees could be laid off unless travel revives strongly or Congress provides more federal aid by April. In a letter to employees, American says it expects to fly at least 45% less in Q1 than in the prior-year period, and based on the current demand outlook will not fly all aircraft this summer as planned. "The vaccine is not being distributed as quickly as any of us believed, and new restrictions on international travel that require customers to have a negative COVID-19 test have dampened demand," the company said. In hopes of reducing the number of job cuts, the airline will offer another round of voluntary separations and long-term leave options that frontline employees can choose, excluding pilots.
American's warning comes just days after United Airlines told 14K employees that their jobs are again at risk.