America’s third largest Airline, United Airlines, has announced it will begin cutting 1,088 jobs as part of its plan to cut a total of 7,000 jobs. The job cuts will first come at the end of Jan 09 from maintenance plant closures in Newark, Chicago, LA, Philadelphia, NY, LaGuardia, JFK (including other US plants), followed by 1,500 management workers across the US. Part of the restructuring plan, United will also layoff 598 mechanics in San Francisco on Jan 11 09. United says the job cuts are necessary so the company can better compete in the current “challenging economic environment.”