Flight Attendants to Review Pact Offer

American Airlines flight attendants today will review a comprehensive contract offer made by the carrier’s parent AMR Corp. that includes an immediate 8% pay raise and other components the carrier said would put them at the top of the industry. The Assn. of Professional Flight Attendants said it will review the offer in depth, though a preliminary review showed little improvement from a contract rejected by the union in September 1999. American flight attendants picketed at 36 U.S. airports Saturday to call attention to the negotiations. Meanwhile, today, UAL Corp.’s United Airlines is expected to return to the negotiating table with its mechanics union before a full meeting of the National Mediation Board. The airline was able to gain a temporary restraining order in federal court to stop its mechanics from engaging in what it called disruptive, illegal job actions that resulted in flight cancellations ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday travel period.