United Airlines plans to furlough 16,730 employees next month as a federal restriction against layoffs under the CARES Act expires.

The company says 2,850 pilots and 6,920 flight attendants are included in those numbers.

"The pandemic has drawn us in deeper and lasted longer than almost any expert predicted, and in an environment where travel demand is so depressed, United cannot continue with staffing levels that significantly exceed the schedule we fly," a letter to United employees said. "Sadly, we don’t expect demand to return to anything resembling normal until there is a widely available treatment or vaccine."

The company had notified about 36,000 employees earlier this year that they faced potential job cuts, but the company offered early buyouts and early retirement programs to reduce those numbers. Roughly 7,400 workers have taken advantage of those options.

United had nearly 100,000 employees before the pandemic.

American Airlines said last month it too plans to furlough about 17,500 U.S.-based employees this fall.