United Airlines to axe 1,000 jobs

United has already slashed 20,000 jobs over the past three years

United Airlines plans to slash at least 1,000 jobs by the end of 2006 as part of a $400m (£217m) cost-cutting drive.

The company, which emerged from bankruptcy earlier this year, said the move should save $100m.

As well as shedding the jobs, the group will also shake up its operations and reduce its marketing spend.

The group has already axed 20,000 jobs and cut costs by $7bn as it struggled out of bankruptcy, but last month said its costs were still too high.

Second quarter

United has complained that rising oil prices are still hitting its bottom line.

Chief executive Glenn Tilton announced the plan to cut 2% of the group's salaried workforce at an analysts' conference in New York.

"We're going to reduce our costs further, we're going to take full advantage of the network that we have preserved to optimise our revenue," he said.

Mr Tilton said the group's performance during the second quarter of the year had been "better than expected" but declined to give any details.