September 19, 2001 - Northwest Airlines and the nation's other airlines are in Washington D.C. pushing hard for a multi-billion dollar government assistance package they say is needed to save the industry. Northwest CEO Richard Anderson will testify before the House Transportation Committee today. Yesterday Anderson joined other airline executives in meetings with Bush administration officials. As the industry scrambles for relief, layoff announcements at other carriers continued and unions at Twin Cities-based Northwest are bracing for major workforce reductions.
September 19, 2001 - Medtronic officials have advised their 26-thousand employees to curtail nonessential air travel until further notice. Fridley-based Medtronic spends about 50 million dollars a year on airfares and books an average of 37-hundred employee flights a month. CEO Art Collins says he decided to limit travel after many of his employees were stranded in New York and Washington during last week's terrorist attack.
September 19, 2001 - American Airlines and United announced today they will cut 20-thousand jobs each. The layoffs are the latest in series of cuts by major airlines that are struggling to stay afloat in the face of financial losses exacerbated by last week's terrorist attacks. Officials from the U.S. airline industry testified before a House Transportation Commitee in Washington today, asking for a 17.5 billion dollar aid package. Minnesota Congressman James Oberstar, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said he wants the government to act fast to protect the industry from financial ruin.
September 19, 2001 - The Minnesota based St. Paul Companies... one of the nation's largest business insurers... says it's projecting nearly three quarters of a BILLION dollars in losses from last week's terrorist attacks. Despite the heavy cost, the company says it stands ready to pay ALL OF ITS CLAIMS and that it has sufficient assets to handle the losses. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...
September 19, 2001 - Flight attendants are among the workers at Northwest Airlines anxiously awaiting news on layoffs. That's not all they have to worry about. Many are still concerned for their safety in the air. And while some are satisfied with efforts to improve airline security, others say the company and the industry are acting too slowly. Northwest flight attendants met with union leaders yesterday to discuss these and other issues. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg spoke with some of them.
September 20, 2001 -
September 20, 2001 -
September 20, 2001 - MOE Q/A WORD SHOULD COME SOON ON HOW MANY NORTHWEST AIRLINES WORKERS WILL BE LAID OFF. AN OFFICIAL WITH THE MECHANICS UNION SAYS THE AIRLINE IS STILL GOING OVER NUMBERS....ALTHOUGH THE STAR TRIBUNE REPORTS THIS MORNING THAT STATE OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN TOLD TO EXPECT LAYOFFS OF ABOUT FIVE THOUSAND MINNESOTA NORTHWEST EMPLOYEES. IF THAT HAPPENS, THAT COULD PUT A BIG STRAIN ON THE STATE'S DISLOCATED WORKER'S PROGRAM. PAUL MOE, THE PROGRAM'S DIRECTOR, SAYS HE'S BEEN TALKING WITH NORTHWEST, BUT CAN'T CONFIRM WHAT THE FINAL NUMBER OF LAYOFFS WILL BE. oc:
September 20, 2001 - Major airlines aren't the only part of the aviation industry hit hard by last week's terrorist attack. Many flight schools are struggling to continue teaching in the face of flight bans enacted by the Federal Aviation Administration. Last night, the FAA lifted some restrictions on small aircraft... but kept a full ban on training flights in place. Bruce Smith is Dean of the University of North Dakota's School of Aerospace Sciences. He says until the FAA lifts the ban, UND's 900 flight program students are grounded. He says he doesn't know why the FAA hasn't lifted the ban.
September 21, 2001 - Northwest Airlines said today it's laying off about ten-thousand workers, as it struggles to cope with the aftermath of the terror attacks in New York and Washington. Nervous passengers have deserted the airways in large numbers since the September 11th attacks, and most major U-S carriers have announced big job cuts in the last week. Northwest's cutbacks amount to almost 19 percent of the company's workforce. CEO Richard Anderson says about 45-hundred jobs in Minnesota will be lost. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg has been talking to the airline's union leaders and workers, and has this report....