American Airlines set to cut 7,000 jobs

FORT WORTH, Texas, July 2 (UPI) -- American Airlines expects to terminate almost 7,000 employees this year, a result of rising fuel costs, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Airline officials informed employees the company expects to cut its worldwide work force by about 8 percent as part of a plan to cut its flight schedule and ground planes, the newspaper said.

American had announced last week it would scale back its flight schedule and reduce managerial and support staff.

The job cuts -- perhaps affecting as many as 900 flight attendants -- would be twice as extensive as those announced so far by any other airline, the Times said.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants confirmed it had received notice from American that the airline intends to lay off union members with the least seniority.

American's human resources department notified employees by e-mail the airline expects to cut abut 8 percent of its staff by the end of 2008 through a combination of "both voluntary and involuntary" reductions.