Source: Crain's Chicago Business
Author: John Pletz

United Airlines is reducing the number of flight attendants on some flights as it copes with skyrocketing fuel prices.

The airline is offering voluntary leave of two to three months to about 200 flight attendants, said the Assn. of Flight Attendants at United.

Starting in May, there will be four flight attendants instead of the usual five on flights aboard Boeing 757s that are shorter than five hours, the company has informed flight attendants.

The staffing cuts are a sign of how hard airlines are being squeezed by rising fuel prices and suggest the deep cutbacks during bankruptcy reorganizations in recent years may only have been the beginning.

United stopped hiring flight attendants three weeks ago and recently posted a notice on its Web site that it’s no longer accepting applications for the positions. Previously, the airline had been adding about 100 new flight attendants a month to its roster of about 15,000.

Before Delta Air Lines Inc. announced a merger agreement with Northwest Airlines Corp., Delta said last month it would cut staff by nearly 4%, or about 2,000 workers. United so far has refused to say if it would eliminate jobs as part of its plan to combat an 80% jump in jet fuel prices, but the company is likely to face questions about cost-cutting next Tuesday when it reports earnings.

In the wake of Delta’s deal with Northwest, United is expected to resume talks with Houston-based Continental Airlines Inc. about a merger that would likely lead to job losses.

An airline mechanic, who asked not to be named for fear of losing his job, says unions are worried about more widespread cutbacks, perhaps as high as 10%, after the peak summer travel season ends.

The staffing reductions on 757s take effect with flight attendant schedules to be posted Sunday.

As with other moves to offset rising fuel prices, such as the $25 surcharge for checking a second bag, the reduction in flight attendants will be felt most acutely in coach. The cutback in 757 crews will mean two flight attendants instead of three in that section.

“There are a lot of reasons the airlines are in the shape they’re in,” said Gregory Davidowitch, president of the Assn. of Flight Attendants at United. “This is one of them. It’s bad for passengers, bad for flight attendants. They’ve both lost a lot the past few years. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

The move only affects the 757, which accounts for about 20% of United’s fleet and is the most popular model of aircraft in use at the airline, along with the Airbus 320. The 757 is a single-aisle airplane with a relatively long coach section, and it’s a popular choice for mid-range routes, such as Chicago to New York or Chicago to Los Angeles. While it’s also used for flights longer than five hours, the bulk of its flying is on shorter hauls, the union says.

Staffing is subject to Federal Aviation Administration rules requiring one flight attendant per 50 passengers, and there is little flexibility to reduce staffing on other aircraft, the Assn. of Flight Attendants says.

The reduction is the second in three years for crews on the 757. In 2005, United reduced staffing from six flight attendants to five.

Mr. Davidowitch says United’s staffing on the 757 matches most other traditional carriers, except Continental, which has five flight attendants.

A United spokesperson wasn’t immediately available for comment late Tuesday.