545 Flight Attendants and 250 Pilots to Be Recalled for Active Duty
FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 6 — American Airlines today announced that it is sending recall notices to 545 flight attendants and 250 pilots. Several factors contributed to the company’s ability to recall, primarily its efforts to capitalize on new international flying and business opportunities with British Airways and Iberia, continuing to strengthen its cornerstone hubs, and preparing for it’s pending alliance with Japan Airlines.
Following today’s news conference in London announcing the official beginning of American’s alliance with British Airways and Iberia, AMR Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey said: “The company is pleased to be recalling approximately 800 total pilots and flight attendants to help capitalize on our business goals as well as to meet our staffing needs in the coming months. This is exactly the kind of growth we’re hoping to achieve with our network strategy, and my hope is that trends like this will continue.”
The first group of 25 pilots will be recalled in mid-November, and the company will continue to recall at a rate of approximately 30 per month. For flight attendants, recall notices will be sent in phases. The first notices will be issued to approximately 225 flight attendants this month; subsequent notifications will follow later in the year.
“I am very pleased to welcome our furloughed flight attendants back to service,” said Denise Lynn, Vice President – Flight Service. “Each day, our flight attendants play an integral role in providing our customers with a welcoming and positive experience onboard all our flights.”
Captain John Hale – Vice President Flight, added “we are happy to have these pilots back in our cockpits. My hope is that the enhancements we’re making to our network will allow us to extend the same offer to more of our furloughees.”
SEATTLE, Nov. 9, 2010 — Boeing and Malaysia Airlines last week celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first Next-Generation 737 with the new, passenger-inspired Boeing Sky Interior.
Boeing Sky Interior is the latest in a series of improvements to the airplane. The next to come will be a package of performance improvements that will reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 2 percent – making the airplane a full 7 percent more efficient than the first Next-Generation 737 delivered. The performance improvements to the airframe and engine are beginning certification test soon, and will be fully in service by early 2012.