<p>A day before mass furloughs, US airline workers said they were gearing up for a full-court press to persuade Congress to pass a fresh $25 billion bailout that would protect jobs for another six months.</p>.<p>With an airline payroll support package expiring at midnight, the clock is ticking.</p>.<p>"It's pedal to the metal until 11:59:59 on September 30, and then some," said Amanda Steinbrunn, a United Airlines flight attendant who is among tens of thousands of airline workers to be furloughed beginning Thursday, if there's no action by Congress.</p>.<p>US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she hopes to have a coronavirus aid deal with the White House this week, but the prospects of a comprehensive bill passing before Thursday were dim, industry officials said, and a quicker standalone bill for airlines would face the challenge of unanimous support.</p>.<p>Weeks of intense airline lobbying has won over many but not all Washington lawmakers, while also drawing attention to the plight of other pandemic-hit industries as the crisis persists.</p>.<p>US airline officials said earlier this week there were no plans in place to halt the furloughs without aid by October 1, and it was unclear what would happen if a deal passes afterwards.</p>.<p>Thousands of employees have already been instructed to return their badges.</p>.<p>Airlines, which were also awarded a separate $25 billion in federal loans under a first coronavirus relief bill in March and have also tapped capital markets to shore up liquidity, are operating about half their 2019 flying schedules and suffering a 68 per cent decline in passenger volumes.</p>.<p>The industry has argued it needs trained employees to help drive an economic recovery once the crisis subsides.</p>.<p>Allie Malis, a flight attendant on American Airlines' furlough list, said she would keep pressing lawmakers on Wednesday.</p>.<p>"I've poured every ounce of my energy into passing this extension," she said.</p>.<p>"I don't have a Plan B." </p>
<p>A day before mass furloughs, US airline workers said they were gearing up for a full-court press to persuade Congress to pass a fresh $25 billion bailout that would protect jobs for another six months.</p>.<p>With an airline payroll support package expiring at midnight, the clock is ticking.</p>.<p>"It's pedal to the metal until 11:59:59 on September 30, and then some," said Amanda Steinbrunn, a United Airlines flight attendant who is among tens of thousands of airline workers to be furloughed beginning Thursday, if there's no action by Congress.</p>.<p>US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she hopes to have a coronavirus aid deal with the White House this week, but the prospects of a comprehensive bill passing before Thursday were dim, industry officials said, and a quicker standalone bill for airlines would face the challenge of unanimous support.</p>.<p>Weeks of intense airline lobbying has won over many but not all Washington lawmakers, while also drawing attention to the plight of other pandemic-hit industries as the crisis persists.</p>.<p>US airline officials said earlier this week there were no plans in place to halt the furloughs without aid by October 1, and it was unclear what would happen if a deal passes afterwards.</p>.<p>Thousands of employees have already been instructed to return their badges.</p>.<p>Airlines, which were also awarded a separate $25 billion in federal loans under a first coronavirus relief bill in March and have also tapped capital markets to shore up liquidity, are operating about half their 2019 flying schedules and suffering a 68 per cent decline in passenger volumes.</p>.<p>The industry has argued it needs trained employees to help drive an economic recovery once the crisis subsides.</p>.<p>Allie Malis, a flight attendant on American Airlines' furlough list, said she would keep pressing lawmakers on Wednesday.</p>.<p>"I've poured every ounce of my energy into passing this extension," she said.</p>.<p>"I don't have a Plan B." </p>