American Airlines on Wednesday said it is recalling hundreds of furloughed pilots and flight attendants after forming joint businesses with several other airlines.
American Airlines said it is sending recall notices to 250 pilots and 545 flight attendants. This process will work in stages, with 225 flight attendants to be recalled this month, and the first wave of 25 pilots to be recalled in mid-November.
American said the recalls result from a recently-formed joint partnership with British Airways and the Spanish airline Iberia. Also, the airline said it has a pending deal with Japan Airlines.
"My hope is that trends like this will continue," said Gerard Arpey, chief executive of AMR, the holding company for American Airlines. The company's stock edged up in pre-market trading.
The airline said that several new routes are opening up in April, including a London to San Diego route operated with British Airways and a Madrid to Los Angeles route operated with Iberia.
American is the third-largest U.S. airline, behind the combined United Continental Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc.
