Congress has returned to session in Washington, D.C., and lawmakers have just over two weeks to pass legislation that extends the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act through March 21, 2021—an action that would stave off layoffs for thousands of airline pilots when the current funding expires on September 30, 2020. As many airlines have already indicated a significant reduction in workforce once the funding ends, ALPA remains steadfast in reinforcing its calls to the U.S. government to help save hundreds of thousands of aviation jobs through a clean extension of the CARES Act.
On July 21, 2020, ALPA president Capt. Joe DePete issued letters to elected officials in the U.S. House and Senate, imploring leaders to pass a clean extension to the Payroll Support Program (PSP). In his letter, Capt. DePete warned that without an extension, the impact will be detrimental to both the airline industry and global economy.
“Unfortunately, the expectation of a U.S. aviation recovery has run into a resurgence of COVID-19. The already anemic demand for travel is now trending down at the precise time that the PSP is set to expire in September of 2020. Absent a clean reauthorization of the program, hundreds of thousands of aviation employees will lose their jobs through no fault of their own, as travel demand will remain sluggish well into 2021.”
In addition to urging lawmakers to support U.S. aviation, ALPA also issued a letter of support to Airlines for America (A4A), the trade group representing major U.S. airlines, commending A4A’s statement to extend the CARES Act. To date, more than 20,000 ALPA members and like-minded individuals have already given their voice to ALPA’s call to Congress by reaching out to their elected representatives.
Please join ALPA in asking for Congress to support a clean extension of the Payroll Support Program through March 31, 2021, not just to bolster our industry and save pilot jobs, but also to support our nation’s economic recovery. Act Now to Protect Pilot Jobs.