Airline announces tentative agreement, may also reach agreement with flight attendants over weekend

United Airlines and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents the airline's mechanics, have jointly announced a tentative labor agreement that may give the airline the labor cost savings it needs to get out bankruptcy. The airline has also announced that it may reach an agreement with another union, the Association of Flight Attendants, this weekend.

No details of the agreement have been released and the contract is subject to ratification by the union members and approval by the bankruptcy court handling the airline's case. On Friday, Eugene Wedoff, the judge handling UAL's bankruptcy, threw out an agreement between the airline and the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents the airline's pilots. The reason: the contract "unfairly tilted the banktruptcy process" in favor of the pilots. The airline and ALPA are now back at the table trying to work out a new deal that will be acceptable to the court.

Still on the judge's agenda is a request by the airline to end all of its labor agreements with unions unless it gets the $725 million in labor cost savings it needs, by next week.

FMI: www.united.com