Source: USA Today
Author: Ben Mutzabauth

United Airlines announced Thursday morning that it will recall the "nearly 600 pilots" currently on furlough.

The company says it's making the move "to address the airline's future staffing needs," adding that "no United pilots will remain on furlough following the recall."

"We look forward to welcoming back our co-workers as we complete work to integrate all of our pilots into a single work group," Howard Attarian, United's senior vice president of Flight Operations, says in a statement. "We are pleased to have this group of talented aviators back on our team. They are among the most experienced and most accomplished in the industry."

United says training classes for the recalled pilots will begin next month and run through the end of the year. In total, United has more than 12,000 pilots.

The recall announcement comes a day after the pilot's union announced a three-member arbitration panel has established a merged seniority list, which is final and binding.

United and Continental merged in 2010, and pilots approved a joint union contract in December.

But they also needed a merged list that ranks who was hired when. Seniority is important to pilots because it dictates who gets the most favorable schedules, who flies which planes, and who gets laid off first.