American Airlines
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American Airlines told employees it is cancelling layoff notices to 13,000, after Congress passed the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill Wednesday that contains money for airlines. The company also announced Thursday it’s increasing the number of nonstop flights into Austin.
“For our 13,000 colleagues who received Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notices last month, those are happily cancelled – you can tear them up!” the company, whose headquarters are in Fort Worth, told employees in a memo Wednesday. United Airlines also announced it was cancelling thousands of planned furloughs following the passage of the American Rescue Plan.
The Association of Flight Attendants, which represents American’s flight attendants, said in a statement, “we did it again! Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, extending our Payroll Support Program for Flight Attendants and all aviation workers through September 30, 2021,” the union said.
“President Biden will sign the bill into law this week. The American Rescue Plan makes clear that workers are not going to pay for this crisis. This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible solidarity of flight attendants, our entire union, and industry over the last year. AFA flight attendants made tens of thousands of calls, sent over 100,000 letters, and held #ReliefNow events in 24 cities. It is our incredible solidarity through the last year that made this PSP extension possible again.”
Thursday, the airline said it is adding 10 new, returning, and seasonal routes to Austin, and is introducing four new codeshare routes to Austin with its West Coast partner Alaska Airlines.
“American is eager to expand in Austin alongside the exponential growth of the region, and we’ll be the easiest airline to do business with as we continue to grow,” Brian Znotins, American’s vice president of network planning, said in a release.
“Customers have been asking for more service to Austin, and today we’re answering the call. These routes not only provide opportunities for companies to get back to business and for leisure travelers to enjoy the excitement of Austin, but also connect Central Texans with new leisure destinations they desire.”