American, Delta, and United CEOs report to the U.S. Senate
US $ 54 billion government wage subsidy for airlines

American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL), United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) board chairs will testify in a hearing before the Senate Trade Committee on Dec. 15 about the impact of $ 54 billion in government wage subsidies on U.S. airlines .
The hearing will address "the impact on airline workforce and the impact of airline operational performance on American consumers," the committee said in a statement.
American CEOs Doug Parker and Southwest Gary Kelly, both of whom are stepping down in early 2022, will testify, as will United CEO Scott Kirby (NYSE: KEX).
Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) Chief Operating Officer John Laughter will also testify, as will Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.
Lawmakers are expected to interview executives about how airlines have used pandemic-related federal aid, staffing and other matters.
U.S. airlines and airlines around the world were hit hard by the decline in business and leisure travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of March 2020, Congress approved three rounds of taxpayer bailouts totaling $ 54 billion to cover much of US airlines' wage bills through September 30 this year as a result of the pandemic.
Nelson said in October that the aviation industry "has created a COVID-19 relief plan that no other industry has".
Legislators want to know whether the airline's voluntary hiring of employees, despite the help with payroll processing, has caused operational problems for some airlines that have resulted in hundreds of flights being canceled in recent months.
The US House of Representatives Transportation Committee Chairs have asked the industry association Airlines for America (A4A) to answer questions about the state wage subsidies the airlines have received.
A4A said in a response letter on Tuesday that the aid program had been an overwhelming success, keeping workers in the workplace with a paycheck, health insurance and pension contributions. Without this program, the group added, "US airlines would have been forced to make massive layoffs, drastically reduce service and cancel fleet orders."
