United offers buyouts to flight attendants

[ATLANTA] United Airlines, the only major US carrier to post a quarterly loss this year, is offering its flight attendants buyouts of as much as US$100,000 as it seeks to rein in costs.

Employees who accept the early-exit plan will be eligible for lump-sum payments, said spokeswoman Megan McCarthy, who declined to disclose the formula needed to reach the maximum. United also is recalling 1,450 furloughed attendants, most of whom took voluntary leave one to two years ago, she said.

United, a unit of United Continental Holdings Inc, is hoping for at least 2,100 takers from an attendant workforce of more than 23,000 after some senior employees sought the offer, Ms McCarthy said. Attendants back from furlough also will help United bolster airports that were too thinly staffed, she said.