More than 30,000 airline workers are about to get a welcome Christmas gift – a regular slary again
The $900 billion federal coronavirus relief package has been agreed and includes $15 billion in additional federal aid to support airline payroll costs.
It follows the $25 million offered to airlines under the CARES Act earlier this year.
That kept workers on the payroll through the end of September.
Unions and airlines have been urging lawmakers to approve more aid for months but Congress and the Trump Administration had been unable to find a compromise until now.
United Airlines and American Airlines started furloughing tens of thousands of workers in October.
This latest Covid relief package requires airlines to recall furloughed workers.
The deal will likely mean Southwest Airlines can avoid making its first ever compulsory job cuts in its 50-year history.
It would keep airline workers on the payroll until at least the end of March 2021.
Although lawmakers have ‘finalized an agreement’ for the relief bill proposal, it is still subject to a House vote on Monday 21 December.
Written by Ray Montgomery, US Editor
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