WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. aviation union leader on Thursday urged Congress to extend a passenger airline payroll assistance program for a third time as demand for air travel has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Congress approved $15 billion in new payroll assistance in December after awarding $25 billion in March to the sector hit hard by COVID-19.
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) representing workers at 17 airlines, said on Twitter “Congress has to act fast for real relief. The emergency relief that came late in December was critical, but it was just ‘a down payment,’ a ‘bridge to real relief.'”
(Reporting by David Shepardson and Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
