American Airlines to train managers as flight attendants ahead of proposed strike

American Airlines is reportedly seeking 4,000 volunteers from its management team to undergo training as flight attendants following reports its flight attendants, represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (AFPA), will strike (Dallas Morning News, 25-May-2010). American and its flight attendants have been in mediated negotiations since early 2009. AFPA recently received strike authorisation and is also petitioning the National Mediation Board to release AFPA from negotiations and implement a 30-day cooling-off period after which the flight attendants can conduct a strike.