A Dark Time for Aviation Is About to Get Darker
The expiration of payroll aid to airlines next week could mean thousands of job losses, scaled-backed flights and pain for suppliers.
Without more federal aid, expect more airline layoffs, fewer flights.
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After months of political wrangling and public pleas, U.S. airlines are in serious jeopardy of going empty-handed when it comes to additional government aid. Politicians from both sides of the aisle have voiced support for extending government grants to safeguard jobs, but with less than a week to go before the initial $25 billion of assistance expires, the odds aren't looking good. The debate over the next Supreme Court justice has stolen the limelight and there's still disagreement over whether airline aid can stand alone or has to be part of a larger stimulus package that’s at a similar stalemate. Some wonder, too, if continued support for the airlines risks veering into corporate welfare territory and why that industry deserves more support than workers at, say, restaurant, hotel or motor-coach companies.