American Airlines Lays Off 43 Workers in Tulsa

Enlarge image

Credit Tulsa International Airport

An American Airlines Jet at the gate in Tulsa

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — American Airlines says it has laid off 43 people who worked at its Tulsa maintenance hub or at the airport.

Airline spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said Friday that the company regrets the layoffs, calling them an "unfortunate part of the restructuring process."

North Texas-based American is reorganizing itself under bankruptcy laws.

The Tulsa World reports that union officials say that the way their seniority system works, some mechanics were unable to move into different posts elsewhere. The union says it doesn't expect further layoffs at Tulsa through the middle of next year.

Initially, Tulsa was expected to lose 2,700 jobs, but amid early retirements, attrition and negotiations, the actual number of cuts could be less than 450.