United Airlines is preparing the biggest cut in its history.

United Airlines is preparing for one of the largest pilot cuts in its history after announcing Thursday the need to eliminate 2,850 jobs in the sector this year, or about 21 percent of the total, when U.S. government aid is nearing expiration.

The airlines, which are suffering the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic, have asked the US government for another $25 billion to meet employee salaries through March.

The first tranche, which prohibited any job cuts until October 1, expires at the end of September, but talks in Washington have stalled as Congress struggles to agree on a broader coronavirus assistance package.

United’s planned cuts, published in a memo to employees and shared with the media, would take place between October 1 and November 30. They are significantly higher than the 1,900 announced earlier this week by Delta Air Lines and the 1,600 announced by American Airlines.

Airlines in general have tried to mitigate the number of forced job cuts by offering early retirement or voluntary departure arrangements, but some companies’ packages have been more attractive than others.

“While other airlines have chosen to reduce human resources through voluntary channels, it is tragic that United has limited those options for our pilots and instead has chosen to lay off more pilots than ever before in our history,” the union representing United’s 13,000 pilots said in a statement.

United said the figures were based on current demand for travel for the rest of the year and its flight schedule, which it said “remains fluid” despite the resurgence of the COVID-19 in regions of the United States.

Chicago-based United is more exposed than its peers to international travel, which is expected to take longer to recover from the pandemic.

By Reuters
(Report by Tracy Rucinski, edited in Spanish by Rodrigo Charme)