MIAMI – American Airlines announced Wednesday its plans to lay off as many as 13,000 people.
The news came during meetings between company leaders and the unions as the airline prepared to take drastic cost-cutting measures.
"Everybody's livid," flight attendant David Plouf told Local 10.
American Airlines plans increase flight traffic by 20 percent to airports in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas, while cutting jobs by 20 percent across the board as it reorganizes under bankruptcy protection.
In a letter to employees Wednesday, CEO Tom Horton said, "We will end this journey with many fewer people. But we will also preserve tens of thousands of jobs that would have been lost if we had not embarked on this path, and that's a goal worth fighting for."
American said it needs to cut 15 percent of its workforce to depart bankruptcy.
"Kinda rough, but you gotta keep going in life," bag handler Tressell Roberts said.
About 4,600 maintenance workers' jobs will be cut, as well as those of 4,000 ground workers, 2,300 flight attendants, 1,400 managers and 400 pilots.
"Right now, I still have a big, shiny airplane to fly, full of people -- even though they say we're not making money," said Capt. Lonnie McLaughlin.
American said it lost up to $2 billion last year alone and needs to cut $2 billion in spending each year, increasing revenue by $1 billion a year, to stay competitive.
The proposal will go to the three unions. If they cannot agree, a New York judge can impose changes under the bankruptcy filing.
American Airlines is Miami-Dade County's fourth-largest employer and accounts for 70 percent of MIA's business.
Employees at Miami International Airport do not feel that the repercussions there will be as bad as those at airports in other parts of the country. The airline at MIA is imposing a six-day work week for nonunion managers to make sure no one retaliates because of the plan.
"There's a lot of jobs that are going to be lost," mechanic Michael McIntosh said. "Families will be affected and the middle class takes another hit."