United to send lay-off warnings to 36,000 staff

United plans to furlough up to 36,000 workers, or just under half of its US workforce, as it contends with a pandemic that has decimated demand for air travel. The company Wednesday said it would send furlough warning notices to 15,100 flight attendants, 11,000 in airport operations and 2,250 pilots. Other affected employees include catering, aeroplane mechanics, flight network operators and call centre customer service representatives. Not everyone who received a notice would be furloughed, United said. The company and unions representing pilots and flight attendants are attempting to increase participation in voluntary leave and early retirement programmes. The airline expects to take a $300m charge in the second quarter related to voluntary employee terminations, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. “Our primary goal throughout this crisis has been to ensure United — and the jobs it supports — are here when customers are flying again,” the company said. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents United’s flight attendants, said the airline’s “projected furlough numbers are a gut punch, but they are also the most honest assessment we’ve seen on the state of the industry”.<br/>