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United Airlines Holdings Inc said on Wednesday that it has cut its flight schedule by 90% in May and expects similar cuts for June as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and warned that travel demand that is now “essentially at zero shows no sign of improving in the near term,” making job cuts likely, Reuters reports.
United disclosed its outlook in a memo to employees that it publicly released. The airline said it flew fewer than 200,000 people in the first two weeks of April, a 97% drop from the more than 6 million people it flew during the same time in 2019. It expects to fly fewer people during the entire month of May than it did on a single day in May of last year, Munoz and Kirby said.
“The historically severe economic impact of this crisis means even when travel demand starts to inch back, it likely will not bounce back quickly,” they said.
While the $5 billion that United expect to receive in government payroll support under the CARES Act means it is barred from involuntary furloughs before 30 September, the airline indicated that it expects to have to cut payroll after that. It said it will be offering new voluntary leave packages in the coming weeks and voluntary separation programs.
Hydroxychloroquine has been used to treat a number of diseases in the past half-century but after a French study claimed it was effective against coronavirus it has been hailed by the US president as a cure. But there is scant evidence it is effective – and it could actually be harmful.
Related: Hydroxychloroquine: How did an unproven drug become Trump's 'miracle cure'?
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