A number of United States-based airlines have issued Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notices to their staff, warning them of possible furloughs once federal job protections end on September 30, 2020.

Spirit Airlines (NK, Fort Lauderdale International) sent WARN notices to around 2,500 staff, representing between 20 and 30% of all pilots, cabin crew, dispatchers, gate agents, and ground handling staff. Chief Executive Ted Christie said in a letter to the staff that the airline had to make "tough decisions" given continuously declining demand and a lack of federal support past September.

The ultra-low-cost carrier also launched a new issue of 9 million common shares, raising up to USD155.2 million in fresh capital.

During a quarterly earnings call, Allegiant Travel Chief Executive Maurice Gallagher said Allegiant Air (G4, Las Vegas Harry Reid) would furlough 275 pilots in October due to the "pilots' unions unwillingness to work on labour expenses". The airline underlined that the period between mid-August and November is its lowest season even in normal years.

Alaska Airlines (AS, Seattle Tacoma International) sent WARN Act notices to 4,200 staff based in the states of Washington, Alaska, and Oregon. Frontier Airlines (F9, Denver International) said it sent notices to 1,458 flight attendants and pilots, representing around 35% of these two groups of employees at the low-cost carrier. Republic Airways (YX, Indianapolis International) is planning to furlough 97 staff based at Louisville International airport and 293 based at Indianapolis International, while Air Wisconsin (ZW, Appleton Outgamie County Regional) plans to reduce its staff at Dayton James M. Cox airport by 47 workers. Finally, Hawaiian Airlines (HA, Honolulu) said it would issue WARN notices to around 2,000 staff, including 35% of its pilots and 25% of its cabin crew.

WARN Act notices do not mean that the airline will necessarily furlough staff rather it allows it to do so in a period of 60 days. Airlines in the US continue to appeal to the government for the extension of the Payroll Support Program (PSP), which bans involuntary furloughs in return for public support for the wages, through March 2021.