American Airlines CEO tells employees to brace for furlough warnings

[turbinetree]

Source: Reuters

By Tracy Rucinski

2 MIN READ

(Reuters) - American Airlines workers should brace for another round of furlough warnings as the airline expects to remain overstaffed on April 1, when U.S. aid for industry workers expires, Chief Executive Doug Parker said.

American is among U.S. airlines that received money from a $15 billion payroll support package in December to protect workers’ jobs and salaries through March, when the industry had hoped that pandemic-hit demand would have recovered with vaccine rollouts.

“What hasn’t happen is what we’d hoped would happen, that we’d get to April 1 and say oh my god ... everybody we have we’re going to need them in the July schedule,” Parker said during a Jan. 28 employee town hall meeting, according to a recording reviewed by Reuters.

Reporting by Tracy Rucinski, Editing by Richard Chang and Lisa Shumaker

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-american-airline-jobs/american-airlines-ceo-tells-employees-to-brace-for-furlough-warnings-idUSKBN2A13KX


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-american-airline-jobs/american-airlines-ceo-tells-employees-to-brace-for-furlough-warnings-idUSKBN2A13KX

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I was at Philly airport two days ago, and that place looked like ghost town and instead of the flights or landing leaving every 5 minutes like they use to when I worked there, not anymore...........the economy parking lot is and has zero cars parked there, no shuttle or bus service............people out of work .........

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Air traffic will never recover

Too many adjustments to lifestyle and incomes. Home gigs, Zoom, staycations are all a permanent impact.

[James48]

2. I will fly-

I retired six months ago, and can’t wait to start flying to destinations all over the world. I can finally afford it- BUT! I can’t do ANY flying until I’ve gotten the vaccine, which may be months away (I’m 1C).

And then I have to find the countries that will let me in. At the moment, that is very limited. I can’t wait for this to be over enough to fly once again.

[RobinA]

12. This Is Me

I'm vaccinated and ready to go, but I can't go where I want to because they won't let me in. Additionally, I don't really want to travel a country wearing a mask. Spending a day in a museum with a mask on is not even an option for me because it would be so unpleasant. Can't see spending several $1000 to be driven nuts by a mask the whole trip. Plus, I can't really concentrate with a mask.

Eventually, people will just start ditching masks, countries will open, and I'll be on my way.

[Initech]

5. I can seriously guarantee that no one wants a "staycation".

If you expect me to pay money for an "experience" on my TV... hell no. When this thing is finally over, people will be out of the house like you haven't seen in 50 years.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Well that's you.

Travel all over the world to visit places that look just like home, with all the highways, McDonalds, Big Box, strip malls. It's all the same anymore.

[RobinA]

13. You Must Be

going to the wrong places. My first overseas trip was to Scotland. Landed and caught a bus to the hotel and the minute I looked out the window I thought, This looks exactly like Scotland is supposed to look! In three trips to Europe in recent years I have seen places that look the same as here, maybe twice, but generally it's nothing like home where I've been.

[Initech]

17. Would you pay $1,000 to see Normandy Beach or Stonehenge on a VR headset?

Me - I can say the answer is an easy "hell no".

[PSPS]

3. It's sad how the media played all their made-up puff pieces about "flying again"

Since airlines and their affiliated industries, like resorts and hotels, are large purchasers of advertising, they play these things as "news" just to wag the dog and mollify the advertiser. But, as others have pointed out, it's never coming back to what it was for a very, very long time, if at all. Besides the risk of infection and the enormous waste of money and time for business travel, one now also has to hope they don't have a crazy trump cultist on board that starts yelling and killing people.

[Initech]

6. If there's less business travel, there will be more leisure travel.

And I mean hey if you're not tied down to an office, do you really have to be at home? Sure you could be at home or you could be relaxing on the beach at a VRBO. If all your meetings are on Zoom, who cares where you are? As long as your employer doesn't IP track your PC's location. Just a thought.

[RobinA]

14. I See It

another way. I think the minute this dies down people will be back to vacationing in droves. If for no other reason than there will be deals galore to get people back travelling again. Many places depend quite substantially on tourist dollars, and they aren't going to let them go without a fight.

[progree]

4. I haven't flown since 2004, and don't plan to -- way too many greenhouse gas emissions

per passenger mile, and for what really?

The Environment and Energy Group is this-a-way: https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1127

And it is extremely very clear that we have to change our lifestyle (just doing wind turbines and solar panels and electric vehicles is far short of being enough). We need to stop being one of the piggiest countriest in the world on a per capita basis.

[moreland01]

8. I can't swim that far!

The grands live in England and we're in Colorado. Their getting British accents! We haven't even met the baby and he turns 1 on Valentines Day

[progree]

15. I sure wish I could change the physics of the situation, but I can't /nt

[IronLionZion]

7. Air travel depends on regular business travel, not vacations

And it looks like there will be less business travel in the future since it's less necessary. People can save time and companies can save money to just videoconference meetings as much as possible. After a year of pandemic it's going to be unlikely to go back to the old ways.

[moreland01]

9. Maybe

they'll start giving us more legroom again?

[IronLionZion]

16. That would be a very sweet dream

Oil prices would be lower with fewer flights, so maybe they can lower airfare.

[Maxheader]

10. Not good.

Reality setting in. 4000 deaths a day? In all the sci fi books I've read, with guys

like weber weaving genocide plots..nothing compares to what's going on...

If anyone can pull this off...slow corona down, stop it it's Biden...