Furloughs Coming For Pilots, Mechanics Too

The "F"-shaped axe has dropped for some 900 flight attendants at American Airlines. The Fort Worth, TX-based carrier confirmed Wednesday it sent "WARN" notifications to its most junior FAs, telling them they are eligible for furloughs starting August 31.

Dow Jones reports the WARN letters -- as required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act -- aren't layoff notices, per se... but rather necessary formalities towards that end. In other words, anyone receiving a WARN notice can plan on being out of a job by the end of summer.

The move isn't surprising. As ANN reported, American announced significant cuts to its fourth-quarter capacity totals last month. The airline plans to trim as much as 12 percent of its available seats, compared to Q4 2007 figures.

With fewer planes flying, it stands to reason the carrier would need fewer flight attendants... and pilots, and mechanics. American didn't say Wednesday how many people in those positions it plans to cut, but we can likely expect proportional furloughs there, as well.

In an attempt to lure older -- and more expensive -- workers to leave the airline, American also said it will offer a "voluntary bridge to retirement" for US and San Juan-based employees who are over age 50, and have at least 15 years of service with the carrier.

FMI: www.aa.com