Nearly 13,500 American Airlines pilots and flight attendants agree to voluntary leave or early retirement

More than a third of American Airlines pilots and flight attendants will take voluntary leave or retire in April or May, helping the carrier deal with an excess of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is offering voluntary leave to 4,800 pilots for April or May, while another 715 will be given early retirement with partial pay and full benefits. The figures include 1,500 pilots who were granted voluntary leave for April and were announced to employees last week. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants said about 7,960 members signed up for voluntary leave or early retirement out of 25,300 total. About 7,200 flight attendants signed up for 3, 6, or 12-month leaves and about 760 will take early retirement. Both leave and retirement would start in May. <br/>