Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly, like his counterparts at other companies pummeled by the coronavirus crisis, has been fielding questions about the impact from anxious employees for nearly two months.

The questions, which Kelly answers in videos sent to its 60,000 workers, have taken a sobering turn at perennially profitable and always upbeat Southwest, underscoring the industry's uncertain future.

"Most of my co-workers are not processing the dark and dangerous reality,'' one employee said in an email, according to excerpts Kelly shared in this week's "Ask Gary'' video.

"Our messages of strength have created a false sense of security. My co-workers talk about the losses at JetBlue and Delta yet somehow don't apply those numbers to Southwest.''

The email goes on, Kelly said, but the worker's question was essentially this: "Just how bad are things" at Southwest?

Kelly didn't get into financial specifics since Southwest won't report first quarter earnings and its second quarter outlook until April 28, but he did detail the industry's dire straits and the drastic steps Southwest will have to take if things don't improve soon.

He braced employees for the possibility of benefit and pay cuts and the first involuntary furloughs in the company's 50-year history but said the airline is doing everything it can to avoid that, raising billions of dollars in cash, slashing flights by more than half and parking hundreds of planes.

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"Obviously, this can't go on forever,'' he said. "We can't raise that much cash (again.)''

Bottom line: Southwest and other airlines need people to start flying again as soon as possible to avoid a deeper, more painful round of cost cutting. That prospect is uncertain given stay-at-home orders still in place around the country.

"If things don't improve dramatically over the May, June, July time period, we'll have to prepare ourselves for a drastically smaller airline,'' he said. "I am not predicting that. I am not predicting that. But life can be very humbling.''

"I have great faith that this too shall pass,'' Kelly added. "I just don't know when.''

Kelly said the first cuts Southwest will make, if necessary and in conjunction with its many unions, will be benefit and pay cuts. He said he favors pay cuts for all employees as a first step to avoid the need for involuntary furloughs.

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Here's what else Southwest CEO Gary Kelly told employees about the coronavirus impact

At 13 1/2 minutes, it was Kelly's longest video since the outbreak began, with most significantly shorter. He was at turns candid CEO, calming Dad and preacher.