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Home > BizTimes Daily > Archives > July 8, 2008
AirTran says job cuts will have little effect in Milwaukee
Published July 8, 2008 - BizTimes Daily
Discount carrier AirTran Airways is cutting 480 jobs, or more than 5 percent of its work force, but the eliminations will have minimal impact on the company's operations in Milwaukee, a spokeswoman of the firm told SBT today.
The Orlando, Fla.-based airline told employees Monday that 180 pilot jobs and 300 flight attendant positions will be eliminated effective Sept. 6, according to AirTran Holdings Inc. spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver.
AirTran is offering a voluntary severance package to employees with at least five years of service.
AirTran, which operates a hub in Atlanta, Ga., has about 8,900 employees, including 1,450 pilots and 2,000 flight attendants.
AirTran anticipates the pay cuts will generate nearly $30 million in costs, as the company and the airline industry copes with skyrocketing fuel costs.
Graham-Weaver said most of the jobs that will be eliminated are based in Atlanta. The company continues to expand its presence in the Milwaukee market, she said.
"Most of the (flight) reductions have been in other markets. Milwaukee is still a market we're very committed to and one that we're growing in," Graham-Weaver said.
The AirTran job layoffs were first reported by the Orlando Sentinel.
Flight reductions and job layoffs are widespread throughout the troubled airline industry.
Last week, American Airlines' parent company AMR Corp. announced it plans to cut nearly 7,000 full-time employees, or 8 percent of its total staff, by the end of 2008. The reductions follow the airline's report that it may cut up to 900 flight attendant jobs.
In Oak Creek, Midwest Air Group Inc., the parent company of Midwest Airlines, is demanding that its pilots and flight attendants absorb hefty pay cuts to enable it to avoid Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
