American Airlines says it expects to avoid laying off any flight attendants after more than 2,000 of them signed up for severance payments.
The airline said Friday that it will stagger the workers' departures over the next year and that those who signed up will be able to request a desired month of departure beginning in October.
“We are happy to report that given the 2,205 Early Out volunteers we have, and the staffing projections looking forward, we don’t anticipate furloughing any flight attendants as a result of the near-term restructuring changes. We will also begin recruiting new flight attendants later this year," said Bruce Hicks, spokesperson for American Airlines.
As top-scale attendants leave, the airline says it even expects to begin recruiting new ones later this year.
The attendants' union had sought the early-out payments of $40,000 each to reduce the chance of furloughs.
American and parent AMR Corp. filed for bankruptcy in November. The company is trying to cut $1 billion in annual labor costs.
