United Airlines sending layoff notices to nearly half of its US employees

United Airlines will send layoff warnings to 36,000 employees – nearly half its US staff – in the clearest signal yet of how deeply the virus outbreak is hurting the airline industry.

The outlook for a recovery in air travel has dimmed in just the past two weeks, as infection rates rise in much of the US and some states imposed new quarantine requirements.

United officials said Wednesday that they still hope to limit the number of October layoffs by offering early retirement, and that the 36,000 number is a worst case scenario. The notices being sent to employees this month are meant to comply with 60-day warning ahead of mass job cuts.