Airlines say furloughs will begin Thursday after hope for deal on coronavirus aid fades

US airlines said they will begin furloughing tens of thousands of employees Thursday after congressional leaders and the Trump administration failed to reach a deal on a coronavirus relief package. In making the announcements late Wednesday, the carriers left open the possibility that workers could be called back if a deal is reached in the next few days. American Airlines was the first to announce its plans, saying it would begin furloughing 19,000 employees. CE Doug Parker said in a letter to employees that he spoke with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin late Wednesday about the status of his negotiations with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi but came away with no guarantee a deal would be reached. Parker wrote that the airline had to begin the furloughs but that he committed to Mnuchin he would recall employees if a deal is reached. “I am extremely sorry we have reached this outcome,” Parker said in the letter. “It is not what you all deserve.” Parker wrote that he would continue to advocate for help and urged his colleagues to do the same. “We are not done fighting,” he said. A similar message came from United, which said it will be forced to furlough roughly 13,000 employees starting Thursday. In March, with the airlines on the brink of collapse, Congress passed a $25b program to help cover their payroll costs on the condition that workers not be laid off or have their pay cut before Oct. 1. But those protections expire Thursday, freeing the airlines to move forward with cuts. Since the summer, airline unions, joined by company executives, have been pushing for a second round of aid. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said the furloughs mean “tens of thousands of essential aviation workers will wake up without a job or health care and tens of thousands more will be without a paycheck.” “It shouldn’t be this hard to do the right thing,” Nelson said.<br/>