American Airlines CEO is ‘confident’ federal aid will be made available to airline industry

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“There’s enormous bipartisan support for it. We have Republicans, Democrats, the administration all saying — knowing that this is the right program, that it makes sense, that indeed it should be extended because airline employees provide critical infrastructure… he added.

Furthermore, Parker said, “We have everyone putting us in every bill they have, we just need the bills to be laws. We need laws, not bills. That’s what we’re going to do and I’m actually confident we can get it done.”

American Airlines already secured an additional $7.5 billion in federal loans as part of the CARES Act. It will only use the fund to support operational costs, not paying salaries for employees.

In addition, Parker commented that the airline industry will rebound more quickly if various restrictions were lifted, such as travel restrictions and letting workers return to the office.

American Airlines is struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic- a common story for thousands of companies across the United States. Indeed, only a handful of industries have managed to thrive under the pandemic, particularly the e-commerce and tech industries.