Former TWA Attendants Press On

Everybody knows that mergers can be bad for workers, but few know better than the former flight attendants of TWA.

TWA had about 4,000 flight attendants on the payroll when it merged with American(AMR Quote) in April 2001. About 3,000 stuck around after the merger. Yet today, not a single one of those flight attendants is employed by American.

Instead, the TWA flight attendants -- most of them middle-aged -- were gradually laid off, as the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks triggered a massive restructuring of the airline industry. Now, although some have moved on, many remain on a recall list of 2,517 flight attendants furloughed by American, which has been slower than other carriers to add capacity after downsizing.

A recent survey of some 500 former TWA flight attendants shows just how badly they have fared since losing their jobs. The survey, compiled online by former flight attendants, indicates that 46% of the group has not found full-time employment. About 47% have had their income reduced by 50% or more, while 49% have had to tap their retirement savings.

Additionally, 36% said they have had to move or downsize, and 42% have been diagnosed with a medical condition since being furloughed. Today, 48% of the group is 55 or older.

The survey was cited by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) at a Jan. 24 Senate Commerce Committee hearing on airline consolidation. "I have a great deal of angst over what has happened to the former TWA employees," McCaskill said then.