American Airlines said it will lay off 228 flight attendants as part of a move to eliminate 921 flight attendant positions this fall while it trims flights from its schedule.
With fewer flights — American announced in June that it would cut capacity by 7 percent — fewer flight attendants are needed. But the number of positions being eliminated is lower than the 1,200 the company had said this year it might need to cut.
"While it is no cause for celebration when even one flight attendant is furloughed, we are pleased that well over half of the potential job losses have been avoided," said Laura Glading, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents 18,000 American Airlines flight attendants.
The layoffs are effective Oct. 1.
The union said there are 1,252 flight attendants now on furlough who hope to be recalled by American.
American said it avoided a larger layoff after 449 flight attendants chose voluntary options, such as taking a leave of one to eight months, or entering into a partnership pair, in which two flight attendants split a schedule.
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