Job cuts for 1,400 Northwest flight crew

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Struggling Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest Airlines announced it is laying off 1,400 flight attendants a week after filing for federal bankruptcy protection.

The flight crew job cuts are expected to be completed by January and follow last week's furlough plans affecting about 400 pilots.

"With fuel at record high prices, we need to both adjust our capacity and achieve market costs for any airplane that remains in our fleet," Northwest Chief Executive Officer Doug Steenland told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

In all, about 14 percent of Northwest's 9,700 flight attendants will face job losses.

About 355 flight attendants based in Minnesota's Twin Cities and 480 based in Detroit will be laid off Oct. 31 and another 500 flight attendants will be furloughed in January, the Star Tribune said.

Northwest imposed contract concessions on its unionized mechanics last month and plans to seek more givebacks from pilots.