American airlines are preparing to lay off tens of thousands of employees starting Thursday, unless they receive additional federal assistance. American Airlines said it will begin firing 19,000 employees after federal aid expires on Wednesday. United Airlines also said earlier this week that it plans to cut 12,000 people. Delta Airlines can avoid layoffs by next summer after 17,000 workers leave voluntarily and 40,000 employees take unpaid leave. Southwest Airlines has also stated that after 28% of its employees agree to leave permanently or temporarily, it will not lay off any more employees by the end of 2020. But other smaller airlines will also lay off staff.
This also triggered a request from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that airlines can suspend layoffs when there are signs that negotiations with Congress have made progress. The Democrats in Congress proposed a $2.2 trillion plan, which includes providing more support for airlines of various countries. Mnuchin believes that as the House of Representatives prepares to vote, economic stimulus policies can "save" the layoffs of airlines. source