WASHINGTON (Reuters) - UAL Corp.'s (UALAQ.OB) bankrupt United Airlines is preparing to hire 2,000 flight attendants, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the plan.þþUnited, the No. 2 U.S. carrier, has been in Chapter 11 since December 2002. The airline filed a reorganization plan in September, beginning the formal process to exit bankruptcy in February.þþUnited is seeking to add international flights as part of its restructuring. About 700 of the new hires would be needed at Washington's International Airport, a departure point for the majority of its overseas flights, the newspaper said.þþA United spokesman was not immediately available for comment.þþUnited, which has about 24,000 flight attendants, has not made any new hires since 2001, the article said.þþDuring its restructuring, United laid off 5,500 flight attendants, half of whom were brought back in the past year, the Post said.þþHowever, many flight attendants left the airline after it terminated their pension plan in the summer as part of its financial restructuring, the newspaper said.þþSince filing for bankruptcy, United has cut costs by $7 billion, restructured contracts with its United Express unit, dumped underfunded pension plans, renegotiated labor contracts and shrunk its work force to 60,000 from 80,000 employees.þþ
Source: NY Times
