Bankrupt airline to rehire flight crew

CHICAGO - United Airlines has rehired 600 flight attendants and expects to bring back about 850 more later this year as increased passenger demand means more planes are flying near capacity.

The bankrupt airline, a unit of UAL, said the 600 will return to work by August 9, and the second group will be brought back by the end of November.

The flight attendants were laid off after the downturn in airline travel in the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001.

"By the end of the year, we expect to have all of our flight attendants on furlough back," said United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski.

Sara Nelson Dela Cruz, a spokeswoman for the flight attendants union, said the number of flight attendants leaving the airline due to the battle over benefits has jumped.

"The pension fight has been a serious concern for flight attendants because they can't come back to a job that isn't going to provide them with a secure retirement," she said.

United, the No 2 US carrier, is embroiled in a dispute with the attendants, who have threatened to strike over the termination of company pension plans.

United won court approval in May to shift its four pensions to US Government insurers, a move that would save the carrier US$645 million ($950 million) a year, while eroding employee benefits.

United plans to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection later this year. The airline has been in bankruptcy since December 2002.

- REUTERS