The U.S. passenger and cargo airline industry saw total employment fall by nearly 29,000 workers through the month ending in mid-October as government restrictions on laying off staff expired, Reuters reported. The U.S. Transportation Department said U.S. airlines employed 673,278 workers in mid-October, which was 81,749 fewer than in March when U.S. travel demand started falling dramatically due to the coronavirus pandemic. The department said that since March, United Airlines had reduced its workforce by 32 percent, or 29,243 employees, while Delta Air Lines eliminated 32 percent of its jobs, affecting 28,751 employees. In October, American Airlines and United Airlines said they were furloughing more than 32,000 workers after the prior $25 billion payroll assistance program expired on Sept. 30. The U.S. airline industry is still losing billions of dollars a month as travel demand remains down more than 60 percent and recent coronavirus travel advisories have discouraged holiday travel.
