Flight attendants’ pay to lower for new hires at American Airlines

So-so news for flight attendants: American Airlines is hiring. But if you get the job, you may not be able to afford to go out with your older co-workers after work.

The company announced Wednesday that it will post 1,500 job openings for flight attendants next month. However, the salaries will be lower. The move comes as a surprise because AA recently paid out 2,205 flight attendants to leave the company as a way to cut labor costs. The 1,500 new hires, meanwhile, will be paid less than the average $37,000 average flight attendant salary, the Christian Post reported.   

The Association for Professional Flight Attendants nonetheless called American Airlines’ plans “great news for the membership since our system has been all but stagnant since 2001,” The Dallas Morning News reported. 

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American Airlines says that its current flight attendants have been making about $45,000 a year, the Associated Press reported. The airline, which filed for bankruptcy protection in November, says that it needs more employees, but is also trying to cut labor costs by $1 billion.  

It is the first time in over a decade that AA has hired new flight attendants, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.