More than 200 Frontier Airlines employees could be laid off at McCarran International Airport in October, according to the airline.
In a letter to state employment officials dated July 31, a Frontier executive said the company “anticipates” that 245 employees at the airport could be placed on furlough beginning on Oct. 1.
The moves would be due to “business disruption cause by the global COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the letter, which was sent to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation in adherence to the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act.
In response to a question about the letter, a Frontier spokesman said in an email that the cuts weren’t a “confirmed action,” but would rather depend on “business and economic conditions going forward.”
Carriers nationwide have faced an uphill battle in recent months as air travel demand has been chilled since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which has been responsible for more than 160,000 American deaths.
Last month, the Clark County Department of Aviation reported that just over 1 million passengers traveled through the Las Vegas airport in June, a total that was up from previous months, but still down more than 75% from June 2019.
In a similar letter sent to unemployment officials in early July United Airlines said it anticipates reducing its McCarran workforce by almost 350 beginning on Oct. 1.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Co., the parent company of Allegiant Air, said in June that it planned to cut about 220 jobs, though a little over half of those cuts would come in the form of vacant positions that wouldn’t be filled.