In another sign of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and its toll on tourism, the food service provider at McCarran International Airport says it will lay off 940 employees.
HMSHost warned the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation about the layoffs in a dated letter Tuesday as part of the Employee Notification and Adjustment Act.
Many grocery and retail stores near McCarran were closed after air travel was hit hard when Nevada and other states ordered nonessential services to close in early March. Since that time, when states reopened, McCarran and other airports have seen steadily increasing passenger volumes, although the numbers are still far below what was seen in previous years.
Although some stores at McCarran have reopened with limited hours, many remain closed.
“HMSHost is still seeing an unusual decline in traffic at airports and on highways,” the company letter stated. “The COVID-19 pandemic has destroyed the travel and restaurant industry, and unfortunately HMSHost is at the crossroads of both. Never in the history of aviation and hospitality have we experienced such a catastrophic decline in customer traffic. ”
Many of the influential positions include fast food clerks, baristas, bartenders and restaurant hosts.
The employees who have been furloughed since March will be effectively fired on October 15, HMSHost said.
In addition, Sky Chefs Inc., an airline catering company at McCarran, DETR announced on July 31 that it plans to lay off 86 of its employees. Those layoffs will occur on Oct. 1, the company said in its letter.
Sky Chefs warned that due to the unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and ever-changing travel restrictions, the number of affected workers could change before the October 1 layoff date.
Contact Mick Akers at [email protected] or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.
