American Airlines will begin furloughing 19,000 workers from Thursday, the company announced, as US officials have failed to reach a deal on fresh aid to the pandemic-hit air travel sector. US carriers that received billions in aid from Congress had promised to refrain from laying off workers until the end of September, setting the stage for potentially thousands of job cuts in October. "Our elected officials have not been able to reach agreement on a Covid-19 relief package... As a result, tomorrow, we will begin the difficult process of furloughing 19,000 of our hardworking and dedicated colleagues," CEO Doug Parker said in a letter Wednesday. However, he sounded a note of hope saying that if lawmakers are able to hammer out a deal for new assistance, the furloughs would be cancelled and the affected teams recalled.<br/>
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The last Qantas A380 has made its final flight for the time being, arriving in California ahead of entering storage. The superjumbo, registration VH-OQI, flew from Dresden, Germany, to Victorville on Monday. From there, it travelled to the Mojave Desert, where it will be stored along with the rest of Qantas' fleet of 12 A380s until demand for international travel returns. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has estimated that won't happen until 2023, grounding the A380s for three years. Several Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which are also used for international long-haul routes, have also been put into storage at Mojave. However, Qantas will use a Dreamliner next month for a sightseeing flight that will depart and land at Sydney Airport after flying over Australian icons like the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru. Qantas Dreamliners will also be used for the first time by Antarctica Flights for their annual summer sightseeing trips over Antarctica. "The A380s have to remain on the ground for at least three years until we see those international volumes brought back," Joyce said in June. "The aircraft are being put into the Mojave desert because it's better for them to be sitting there. The environment protects the aircraft a lot more, and we have the intention, at the right time, to activate them." <br/>