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The stimulus bill will give airlines some money to work with.

With the majority of Congress’ new stimulus bill sorted out, the primary recipients of its benefits have already begun making plans to utilize them. One of those recipients is the commercial air travel industry, which is one of the industries hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Should the new stimulus bill be passed, US air carriers will be entitled to $15 billion in federal payroll support. However, this money comes with a condition.


In order to be eligible for the bill’s payroll support, airlines will need to recall all employees that were furloughed back in the fall, and secure their positions through at least March 2021. Certain air travel routes will also need to be restored. Since the fall, at least 32,000 airline employees, with professions including mechanics, pilots, and attendants, have been furloughed, and all of them will need to undergo an in-depth process to return to work. All employees will need to have their security clearances restored, and they will need to verify that they are up to date on the most recent training requirements. Employees will gradually return to work over the course of several months, with the first wave of returns projected to complete by April.

While this is good news for the airline industry at large, it will be difficult for them to maintain consistent business until the COVID-19 vaccines are publicly available. Multiple airline executives have made it clear that, barring an unlikely change in the volume of booked flights, there is a distinct chance that the employees’ return will be only temporary.

“The truth is, we just don’t see anything in the data that shows a huge difference in bookings over the next few months,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart said in a memo to employees. “That is why we expect the recall will be temporary.”