United Airlines could furlough 36,000 employees, or roughly 45 per cent of its workforce, by October 1 amid a drop in air travel resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Airline workers had hailed the federal bailout deal as a way to preserve jobs in the crisis for almost a million impacted employees. United, in the meantime, has been offering voluntary programs helping employees consider retirement or other jobs outside the industry. Tens of thousands of United workers already have taken voluntary unpaid leave, according to the airline. Among the United workers that may be impacted by the start of October are 11,000 employees currently working airport operations and 15,000 flight attendants.

Source: Daily Mail July 08, 2020 20:37 UTC