Continental Airlines — one of Houston’s largest employers — announced plans to cut 425 jobs today in a move that the company says will save it $125 million before taxes in 2005 and $200 million a year before taxes by 2007.
In its news release, Continental said that the move, along with other recent efforts to boost revenue and cut costs, should generate a total of about $1.1 billion in pretax benefits. Continental posted a second-quarter loss of $17 million on revenue of $2.51 billion, which the company said was primarily the result of high fuel prices, weak domestic fares, and costs attributable to the early retirement of leased aircraft. The company also warned that existing employees would be asked to take wage and benefit reductions “unless the revenue environment improves dramatically.”
Most of 425 job cuts would be in management and clerical staff, although the exact number of layoffs was not disclosed. Some of the positions that Continental plans to eliminate are already empty and some of the other job cuts will come from normal attrition. The latest round of cuts, most of which are effective immediately, are in addition to the previously announced reduction of 253 reservation positions. After the latest reductions, Continental will have cut its management and clerical work force by almost 25% from levels before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on New York and Washington, D.C.