Public braces for American Airlines layoffs

MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT -- As American Airlines employees figure out what to do next during difficult times for the company, customers and the airport will be affected as well.

On Tuesday, the airline sent out notifications to thousands of employees nationwide telling them to expect layoffs in the upcoming months before the end of the year. As many as 1,400 of those notifications were sent to South Florida employees.

By Nov. 16, up to 158 employees at MIA could lose their jobs, and by Dec. 16, over a thousand more could lose theirs.

At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, about 47 employees received the notifications.

American Airlines representatives said that not all who received the notifications will actually lose their jobs.

Many of the employees who received the notices work as mechanics and ticket counter staff. They will be replaced by other employees who will be outsourced through different companies.

The layoffs are a result of about $1 billion the company is trying to cut from its payroll. But it's not just the employees that will be affected. American Airlines passengers and the airport itself will also see the effects of the cut backs.

Many customers are concerned about setbacks and flight delays. However, the staff at MIA said that will not be the case. "We don't believe that any other employee groups of any other companies will be affected," said Deputy Airport Director Ken Pyatt. "American has indicated that they do plan to have some of their workers outsourced, so that's actually a good thing for some of the vendors here who might pick up some of the work that American is no longer doing."

Pyatt also said that he does not expect service to be affected or any ticket counters to be closing.

Governor Rick Scott put out a statement that said, "American Airlines' announcement is certainly bad news for their company and a setback for hundreds of Florida families. We know that Florida workers want to work, and assisting them in identifying other opportunities in our state is a top priority."

Scott has spoken with the Beacon Council in South Florida as well as other companies that service the airline industry. The state is trying to find these thousands of employees who could lose their jobs other employment within the state of Florida.

The Beacon Council was not available for comment.

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