US Airways' Flight Attendants' Future Unsure
Company Plans To Cut 450 Jobs, Officials Say

POSTED: 8:42 pm EDT October 5, 2007
UPDATED: 8:53 pm EDT October 5, 2007

PITTSBURGH -- On Wednesday, US Airways announced it's cutting its flight schedule and closing its crew base in Pittsburgh, a move that would affect about 450 employees.

Gov. Ed Rendell said he is calling for immediate job training and financial assistance for the affected employees.

Most senior flight attendants with US Airways live in Pittsburgh, where workers range from 23 to 40 years of service with the company.

They said it would be next to impossible to uproot and leave Pittsburgh, and they said commuting would be just as bad.

"Disappointment -- one right after another. You start out with 3,000 flight attendants. There's bad news around the corner all the time. There's been a lot of lies," Local Association of Flight Attendants spokesman Mark Gentile said.

The company said the 300 Pittsburgh flight attendants could either relocate or commute to their new home base right before each flight assignment.

But 28-year flight attendant Steve Neumann said he performed a commuting test run to Philadelphia, and he said it was ugly.

"Commuting is just about impossible. I was bumped off two flights. I couldn't get on. I got the last flight, got the jump seat and left 10 employees behind. It's not going to happen for another 500 or 600 people every week," Neumann said.

Rep. Tim Murphy asked to attend the flight attendants' meeting because he said he calls their dilemma distressing.

He said he knows some will soon join the unemployment ranks.

"Making sure we're sustaining funding for any kind of job retraining (for) folks who want to stay here and find other work," Murphy said. "Assistance for the people who cannot go to another city? Impossible -- because they have families, and there's no way they're able to commute."

Flight attendants said they have up to three years to make their decision as to whether they will stick it out with the company or leave.

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