About 500 American Airlines flight attendants will not need to be furloughed this spring because the airline received enough voluntary-leave offers, American said Wednesday. "We are pleased to announce that a number of flight attendants requested and were granted the voluntary options offered on Feb. 1. With this, we hope to have the appropriate staffing levels to manage the current schedule and avoid furloughing flight attendants on April 1," spokeswoman Missy Cousino said.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants told its members that American mitigated the furloughs through voluntary leaves and travel partnership programs. American had previously told the union that it would need to furlough 500 flight attendants as it reduces its capacity this spring. The furloughs were separate from the 2,300 flight attendant layoffs that American proposed in its restructuring plan this month.-- Andrea AhlesPromising signs are seen in housing marketThe housing market is showing signs of health ahead of the spring buying season. Sales of previously occupied homes are at their highest level since May 2010. There are more first-time buyers, and the supply of homes fell last month to its lowest point in nearly seven years, which could push home prices higher. Sales have now risen nearly 13 percent over the past six months. While they are still well below the 6 million that economists equate with a healthy market, the gains have coincided with other changes that suggest that more sales are coming.-- The Associated PressHP net income declines in CEO's first full quarterHewlett-Packard said net income declined and sales fell 7 percent in the first full quarter under new CEO Meg Whitman. HP's sales to consumers fared the worst, dipping 23 percent from a year earlier. Net income was $1.47 billion, or 73 cents per share, in the three months ended Jan. 31. A year earlier, it was $2.6 billion, or $1.17 a share. Revenue was $30 billion, down from $32.3 billion and slightly below expectations.-- The Associated PressSix drillers to pay feds over royalty allegationsHalf a dozen drilling companies have agreed to pay $15 million to the federal government over allegations that they underpaid royalties on natural gas produced from leased federal and Indian land: Total Fina, Total Minatome, Total Exploration Production USA, Fina Oil and Chemical Co., Elf Exploration and Total E&P USA.-- The Associated PressHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
