American Airlines workers should brace for another round of furlough warnings as the airline expects to remain overstaffed on April 1, when U.S. aid for industry workers expires, Chief Executive Doug Parker said.

American is among U.S. airlines that received money from a $15 billion payroll support package in December to protect workers’ jobs and salaries through March, when the industry had hoped that pandemic-hit demand would have recovered with vaccine rollouts.

“What hasn’t happened is what we’d hoped would happen, that we’d get to April 1 and say oh my god … everybody we have we’re going to need them in the July schedule,” Parker said during a Jan. 28 employee town hall meeting, according to a recording reviewed by Reuters.

An American spokesman confirmed the veracity of the recording.

U.S. aviation unions are urging Congress to extend a third round of payroll assistance, something Parker said he would support. KEEP READING

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