Hawaiian Airlines warns of layoffs as quarantine extended

Hawaiian Airlines (HA, Honolulu) said that its redundancy notices to around 2,000 workers remain valid after Governor David Ige confirmed that strict quarantine rules will be extended through at least October 1, 2020, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser has reported. The airline said that it had already eliminated 185 management positions, mostly through voluntary leaves and the removal of vacant positions, but said that it was unlikely to be the end of the cuts. In late July, the carrier sent WARN Act notices to around 2,000 staff, informing them of possible lay-offs after September, when their jobs would no longer be protected under the federal Payroll Support Program (PSP). A WARN Act notice, while mandatory 60 days ahead of the potential lay-offs, does not automatically translate to the redundancy. Hawaii’s governor said that the archipelagic state would not implement a procedure allowing the arrival of passengers with a negative COVID-19 test without mandatory quarantine. Currently, all non-Hawaii residents have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival with no exceptions for passengers with negative test results.