Low-fare giant Southwest Airlines Thursday notified the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment that it plans to furlough 556 first officers, flight attendants and customer service, provision and ramp agents at Denver International Airport on April 1.

The Dallas-based carrier said it filed notices Thursday to furlough 6,828 workers nationwide because it hasn’t made “meaningful progress” in cost-cutting talks with four union locals representing its workers. Southwest had asked the unions in October to accept 10% pay cuts in exchange for a pledge of no furloughs next year as part of a plan to reduce “overstaffing” costs by $1 billion.

Southwest, which is scheduled to expand to Colorado Springs on March 11 with 13 flights to five cities, reported a record $1.16 billion loss in the third quarter as travel has only rebounded slightly since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the nation. The airline, which employed 58,000 at the end of the third quarter, said it was still filling just above half of the seats on its flights during September and that travel demand remains “fragile.”

DIA traffic down, but still higher than nationwide figures

While about 25% of Southwest’s employees have agreed to take extended time off, voluntary buyouts and early retirements, it has never furloughed workers in its 50-year history. The carrier received $3.2 billion in federal help earlier this year to pay labor costs through September. The airline industry has sought more help from Congress as part of pandemic relief legislation, but proposals for another round of federal help have remained stalled for months.

Southwest to begin 13 daily Colorado Springs flights to 5 cities in March

United Airlines has filed layoff notices with the department for nearly 3,000 employees in Denver, while Denver-based Frontier Airlines has filed notices to lay off nearly 400 employees and American Airlines had filed notices to lay off 109 workers.