Unless demand for airline travel picks up in the next few months, thousands of pilots could find themselves out of work.

That’s the word from United, who sent an email Saturday admitting that the “displacement” of 4,457 positions could begin when the restriction on layoffs expires after September 30.

According to Forbes , this marks the first US carrier to plan job reductions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bryan Quigley, United’s chief pilot and senior vice president for flight operations, revealed that fewer than 10,000 passengers are flying each day right now, meaning there are currently more pilots than travelers.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielreed/2020/05/03/united-launches-plan-to-eliminate-at-least-a-third-of-its-pilots-jobs-other-work-groups-there-and-at-rival-carriers-are-likely-to-follow/