Chicago based United Airlines will lay off 950 pilots this year and next year, pilots on the lay off list will be the ones with the least seniority number, most of them Boeing 737 First Officers. The Boeing 737 captains will transition to the A320 or larger equipment depending on the seniority or availability. This decision follows the future fleet planning announced recently in a separate press release, the Boeing 737 fleet will be phased out completely by early next decade. United currently employs over 7000 pilots.
United retired its older Boeing 727 and Boeing 737-200 Series earlier this decade following the events of 9-11, the 300 and 500 Series which make up the whole 737 fleet at United will soon be phased out as well. The whole 737 fleet will be phased out and no new aircraft will be added in the near future, as a cost cutting measure, but the A320 and Boeing 757 fleets will stay longer. United was in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection from late 2002 until the middle of the decade.
