American Recalls TWA Attendants

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Some good things are happening for former TWA flight attendants.

American Airlines, a unit of AMR (AMR Quote), said Wednesday that it will recall 460 of the defunct carrier's former flight attendants, its second such recall this year.

Meanwhile, Sen. Claire McCaskill ( D., Mo.) has introduced a bill to help flight attendants who will remain on American's recall list. The bill would extend recall rights to 10 years at airlines, including American, that received financial help from the federal government after the Sept. 11 attacks.

When TWA merged with American in 2001, about 3,000 flight attendants migrated. All of them were laid off when the industry downsized following the terrorist attacks. A recall of 200 American flight attendants this past May included 103 from TWA, of whom 83 returned to work.

For the rest, recall rights -- limited to an industry standard five years -- have either expired or will soon expire.

Roger Graham, a former TWA flight attendant who has spearheaded efforts to preserve his former co-workers' jobs, said that Wednesday's announcement is positive but that approval of the McCaskill bill is still needed.

The measure "saves jobs and restores hope," he said. "Most of these people were hired out of high school and college and today are senior citizens and they just need a few more years in the airline industry, to keep working and to build up that pension."