Airline bosses in the US are waiting to hear if their beleaguered industry will receive cash aid from the government.
President George W Bush has ordered support for the industry, which is suffering a massive drop in traffic in the wake of the US attacks.
So far no money has been promised to airlines or other industries. Insurers have been widely tipped to bear the brunt of economic pain in the aftermath of last week's terrorist atrocities, expected to create the most expensive claims in history.
Airline executives are due to meet White House economist Lawrence Lindsey this afternoon (Tuesday, Spetember 18, UK time) to find out what help they can expect.
British carrier Virgin Atlantic has announced it is to cut 1,200 jobs and US counterpart Continental announced plans to axe 12,000 staff and slash its capacity by 20%.
Shares in both industries fell when US stock markets reopened yesterday.
