Yesterday, United Airlines announced that they would be laying off 414 mechanics. All 414 work at United’s San Francisco maintenance base at SFO airport. Already, United has announced previously that they plan on cutting 7,000 jobs, as they plan remove the 737 class aircraft from their fleet. Many of the layoffs United will take effect in early December. Many flight attendants volunteered to be furloughed, which helped the airline avoid involuntary furloughs. That cut cabin staff by 1,550 positions. The 950 pilots are expected to be cut from sometime soon, into 2009. United also plans to cut 1,600 managers.
Although oil has begun to level off and has begun to decline, airlines in America and in Europe face a new struggle; The Economy. As the Dow Jones Industrial Average falls below 9,000 points, shareholders across the US (and many parts of the world) have lost a decent amount of money. People are expected to travel less, and airlines can only prepare for that by cutting flights. Less flights equals less staffing required. However, I do hope that United isn’t over-cutting their staff, and in turn is ensuring safety for the general welfare of all their travelers.
Image: flickr.com
