Thousands of American Airlines workers who recently received furlough warnings will no longer have to worry about their state of their jobs due to the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that was passed by Congress Wednesday.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and President Robert Isom made the announcement in a letter sent to 13,000 employees shortly after the bill was voted on.
"To those who had received notices warning of furloughs: those are happily canceled-- you can tear them up!" the letter read.
"If you see your local Congressional representative on a flight, be sure to thank her or him for their work this past year and for recognizing the noble work you all do every day," it continued.
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The House gave final congressional approval to the sweeping package by a near party line 220-211 vote precisely seven weeks after Biden entered the White House and four days after the Senate passed the bill without a single Republican vote.
In an Instagram post, Parker wrote that once the bill is signed into law, all of the company's U.S.-based employees will be guaranteed job protection through September of this year.
Earlier this week, American Airlines had announced it is planning to issue $5 billion in bonds and seek a $2.5 billion loan backed by its frequent flyer program, funds it intends to use to pay back some of its debt used to help weather the coronavirus pandemic.
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American and large rivals Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have mortgaged their frequent flyer programs to help cope with a plunge in revenue after the pandemic struck last year. In September, Delta raised a record $9 billion in debt backed by its SkyMiles loyalty program.
