16名参议院共和党人表示支持延长美国250亿美元的工资支持计划航空公司星期三对航空旅行的需求仍然受到压制，成千上万的航空公司员工面临潜在的休假和裁员。
今年10月，美国航空公司预计将在员工不再受国会规定的条件约束时裁员接受联邦援助。
参议员们在给参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)和参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)的信中写道:“最近几周，几家航空公司已经通知其相当一部分员工，他们的工作可能会在2020年10月1日，即《关心法案》(CARES Act)救济到期后，面临风险。”
联合航空公司和美国航空公司已经宣布他们准备解雇多达36，000和25，000名员工，分别是由于缺乏商业活动冠状病毒大流行。
另一方面，西南航空、达美航空和捷蓝航空的高管对避免非自愿裁员的可能性更为乐观，至少在短期内是如此，因为大量员工接受提前退休和买断。
参议员的信是在200多名众议院议员呼吁延长PSP之后发出的，他们说这将有助于将航空公司的工作岗位保留到2021年春天。
代表们写道，该计划“挽救了数十万名航空公司一线员工的工作，却没有给航空公司本身或其股东带来一分钱。”
在接受《华盛顿邮报》采访时，达美航空公司首席执行官埃德·巴斯蒂安表示，他将支持PSP再“干净利落地延期”六个月。
Bastian说:“CARES法案非常成功，它给了航空公司六个月的时间，在大流行开始后，能够有一个应对大流行的计划。”
航空旅行仍在减少与去年相比，大约有75%,代表前线人员的工会也公开主张更多的联邦援助。
美国航空公司飞行员协会主席乔·德皮特上尉说:“在这种流行病爆发之初，国会就向航空公司提供了急需的财政援助，以防止数十万人被解雇。”“除非我们现在就采取行动，否则这项援助以及与之相关的强有力的劳工保护措施将于10月1日到期——尽管病毒仍未得到控制，旅游业仍受到重创。”
GOP senators back additional airline aid as air travel goes down 75% due to coronavirus pandemic
A group of 16 Senate Republicans expressed their support for an extension of the $25 billion payroll support program (PSP) for United StatesairlinesWednesday, asthe demand for air travelremains suppressed and tens of thousands of airline employees face potential furloughs and layoffs.
In October, U.S. carriers are expected to lay off employees when they are no longer tied to the conditions set forth by Congressto receive federal aid.
"In recent weeks several airlines have notified significant segments of their workforces that their jobs could be at risk on October 1, 2020, following the expiration of CARES Act relief," the senators wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
United Airlines and American Airlines have alreadyannounced they are preparing to furlough up to 36,000 and 25,000 employees, respectively, due to lack of business amid thecoronaviruspandemic.
Executives from Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue, on the other hand, have been more optimistic about the possibility of avoiding involuntary layoffs, at least in the short term, due to a large number of employees accepting early retirement offers and buyouts.
The senators' letter follows calls from over 200 House members for an extension of the PSP that they say would help preserve airline jobs until the spring of 2021.
The program "saved hundreds of thousands of frontline airline workers' jobs—and not a penny went to the airlines themselves or their shareholders," the representatives wrote.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said he would support a "clean extension" of the PSP for another six months.
"The CARES Act was incredibly successful in that it gave airlines six months, post the pandemic start, to be able to have a plan to deal with the pandemic," Bastian said.
Air travel is still downaround 75% compared to last year and unions representing those on the front lines have also been vocal advocates of more federal aid.
"Congress provided critically needed financial aid to the airlines at the outset of this pandemic for the purpose of preventing hundreds of thousands of layoffs," Capt. Joe DePete, the Air Line Pilots Association president, said. "Unless we all act now, this aid, and the strong labor protections attached to it, will expire October 1—even though the virus is not under control and the travel industry remains devastated."
