United Warns Up To 2,850 Pilots Of Possible Furloughs Unless PSP Extended

United Airlines announced plans to furlough up to 2,850 pilots this fall, more than previously expected, unless Congress can agree to extend the Payroll Support Program (PSP) before funding runs out on Oct. 1.

The latest announcement means Chicago-based United will need to send out approximately 600 additional furlough warnings in coming weeks, as the company previously only notified around 2,250 pilots of potential furloughs in late June. 

United SVP-flight operations Bryan Quigley told pilots in an Aug. 27 memo, viewed by Aviation Daily, that management decided to increase the scope of pilot furloughs due to “deterioration in travel demand compared to late June.”

Additionally, Quigley said that 250 pilots who previously received furlough warnings with a potential date of Nov. 30 will now see their furloughs moved up to Oct. 30. The latest plan calls for the first 1,747 pilot furloughs to occur on Oct. 1, followed by a further 572 furloughs on Oct. 30, and 531 more on Nov. 30.

“Our numbers are based on the current travel demand for the remainder of the year and our anticipated flying schedule, which continues to be fluid with the resurgence of COVID-19 in regions across the U.S.” Quigley said.

Reacting to the announcement, the United Master Executive Council (MEC) of the Air Line Pilots Association expressed disappointment that management did not work harder to reduce the scope of furloughs through the use of voluntary leave and early-out packages.

“While other airlines have chosen to reduce manpower through voluntary means, it is tragic that United has limited those options for our pilots and instead has chosen to furlough more pilots than ever before in our history,” the United MEC told pilots Aug. 27.

The announcement comes just a few days after both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines previewed their own expected pilot furloughs, with the former expecting to shed 1,605 pilots, and the latter, 1,900—both substantially less than the 2,850 pilots that United plans to let go.

Airline unions have pinned their hopes on Congress extending the PSP before a Sept. 30 deadline, although that prospect has dimmed following lawmakers’ failure to reach an agreement before taking their planned August recess. There has, however, been a slight uptick in optimism following remarks this week by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who said the administration would consider taking executive action to avert layoffs should Congress fail to act.

“If Congress is not going to work, this president is going to get to work ... and hopefully we can help out the airlines and keep some of those employees from being furloughed,” Meadows said in an interview with Politico.

Still, it’s unclear how the White House could extend the PSP on its own, leading some union officials to voice skepticism about how effective such a move would be.

“Executive orders would not put in place a ‘clean extension’ of our PSP with all of the job requirements that will save our jobs and keep our industry intact to serve the American public during this pandemic ... We need Congress to act,” Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Sara Nelson said in a message to members.