DALLAS (AP) -- Flight attendants for Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways voted to approve an agreement allowing the combining of their separate seniority lists, a step toward merging the two labor groups.
Among AirTran attendants, 91 percent approved the deal, which will likely result in higher wages for them. At Southwest, 64 percent favored it.
Southwest Airlines Co. bought AirTran last year for $1.4 billion and plans to eventually extinguish the AirTran brand. Combining workforces is often tricky in airline mergers because seniority determines assignments and pay.
"Airline mergers are historically difficult, yet thousands of flight attendants at both airlines have once again shown that together we can continue to make history in this turbulent industry," said Alison Head, president of the AirTran attendants' group.
Southwest flight attendants are represented by the Transport Workers Union, while their AirTran counterparts are members of the Association of Flight Attendants.
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