Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) and American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) have both warned pilots during internal meetings that once federal job protection under the CARES Act expires on September 30, they may have to furlough them due to the reduction in capacity.

According to Bloomberg, Delta's Senior Vice-President (Flight Operations) John Laughter told pilots in an internal memo that the carrier would send potential furlough notices to 2,558 pilots in the coming days. The actual number of pilots affected could be lower due to the uncertainty as to how many pilots will accept voluntary retirement offers.

The airline extended an early retirement offer to 7,900 pilots.

"We hope that we will not have to reduce jobs involuntarily and are prepared to continue discussions with your elected representatives on a comprehensive agreement that would include a no-furlough commitment for two years," Laughter told pilots.

In turn, American Airlines chief executive Doug Parker warned the carrier's employees that furloughs may be unavoidable but did not name the exact number of staff affected. During a town hall meeting reported by Reuters, he said the airline foresaw that in October it would have 20-30% staff more than needed, while by July 2021 the surplus would be 10-20%.

Parker underlined that decisions about furloughs would be based around long-term forecasts.

"It really makes zero sense to go furlough a pilot in October if you're going to need that pilot again in July," he underlined.