DALLAS (AP) — American Airlines says it will reduce flights in July partly because of a shortage of pilots due to more of them calling in sick.
The 1 percent reduction in July’s schedule follows a 1.5 percent cutback in June, which was also blamed partly on higher usage of sick leave by pilots.
A union spokesman said Wednesday that pilots could be taking care of elective procedures before American raises their premiums and co-payments.
Meanwhile, American was also expected to announce Wednesday the next step in its plan to eliminate 1,400 management and support jobs by late summer. The company has previously announced the elimination of several senior executive jobs, and several top officials have retired.
American, the nation’s third-largest airline, and parent AMR Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection in November after losing more than $10 billion over the previous decade. The company blames high fuel and labor costs.
The airline can’t do much about fuel prices, but it is asking a federal bankruptcy judge in New York for permission to break labor contracts so that it can eliminate thousands of jobs and reduce benefits for its roughly 55,000 union workers. The judge is expected to rule June 22.
