American Airlines expected to cut 900 flight attendant jobs

American Airlines has announced that it may cut 900 flight attendant jobs, as a result of having to reduce its service to cope with soaring fuel costs.

The Fort Worth-based carrier also expects to be reducing the number of jobs for pilots and for mechanics, but hasn’t released those numbers as of yet.

American, the largest U.S. airline, reported earlier this week that the job cuts were essential in order “to overcome near-term challenges and secure our company’s long-term future.”

In May, the airline announced its plan to cut domestic capacity by 11-12 percent by the end of this year, to ground a number of planes, and to reduce its workforce.

U.S. law requires that employers provide 60 days notice in the case of major layoffs. Officials of the flight attendants’ union confirmed receiving notice this week that reductions could begin by 31 August.

Both airline and union officials commented as many layoffs as possible would occur through attrition, voluntary leaves of absence, and job sharing.

Currently, American employs around 18,000 active flight attendants. A reduction of 900 jobs would mean five percent of the workforce.

“We’ve all been sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for a number,” said a spokesperson for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, Frank Bastien. “Most of us were pretty pleased it wasn’t higher.”

www.aa.com