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JetBlue Airways Corp said on Monday it expects cash burn to rise to about $8 million per day in the fourth quarter, citing recent booking trends and a delay in cash tax refunds.
A renewed surge in COVID-19 infections and travel curbs has further dimmed the financial outlook for the sector, which the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has predicted is set to lose $87 billion this year.
U.S. airlines received $25 billion in federal aid to keep employees on payroll between March and September and have now asked for a second round of support.
"Booking trends remain volatile and the company continues to believe demand and revenue recovery will be non-linear through the fourth quarter and beyond," New York-based budget carrier JetBlue said.
It expects its fourth-quarter average daily cash burn to be between $6 million and $8 million, compared with its prior forecast of between $4 million and $6 million.
It also forecast a 70% slump in revenue, compared with its prior expectation of an about 65% fall.
JetBlue had cash and short-term investments of about $2.8 billion as of Nov. 27.
(Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli) ((SanjanaSitara.Shivdas@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780, outside U.S. +91 80 6749 1642; Twitter: @SanjanaShivdas;))