US airline CEOs renew request for more aid in letter to Congress

The CEs of the seven largest US airlines made a fresh plea for more payroll relief before the end of the year and pointed to the challenges of distributing a COVID-19 vaccine in a letter to Congressional leaders on Wednesday. The letter was sent by the main industry lobby Airlines for America and signed by the heads of the top seven US airlines. "As the nation looks forward and takes on the logistical challenges of distributing a vaccine, it will be important to ensure there are sufficient certified employees and planes in service necessary for adequate capacity to complete the task," they said. US airlines received $25 billion in federal aid to keep employees on payroll between March and September and have asked for a second round of support after cutting tens of thousands of jobs either through furloughs or early retirements in recent months. They have argued that they need trained employees to help service an economic rebound, with the prospects of a vaccine in the coming months underscoring the urgency. The number of travelers that passed through TSA checkpoints on Tuesday was down two-thirds from the same day in 2019, an improvement from the start of the pandemic but not enough to bring airlines out of their cash hole, particularly with further lockdowns looming as COVID-19 cases rise.<br/>