The government handed the airline bosses $15 billion in all as a way to shore up the profits of airline companies that had already been experiencing a months-long slide in passenger travel and revenues.

The airline put 10,000 workers on the street in September, part of what Northwest chief executive officer Richard Anderson said was an aggressive cost-cutting plan begun earlier in the year. The profit comes even after the airline took $39 million in charges for aircraft write-downs and employee severance packages.

Congress is now working on legislation to give the airline industry an additional $250 million, Bloomberg News reported. The reason given is to pay for installing cockpit doors strong enough to withstand bullets and explosives.  
 
 
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