Flight attendants at United Airlines and Continental are represented by separate unions, but the union at United filed papers Tuesday that could start the process of combining them as parent company United Continental Holdings Inc. combines the two airlines into one.
The Association of Flight Attendants represents United attendants, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers represents Continental flight attendants.
On Tuesday the United union asked federal officials to declare the two airlines are already operating as one carrier. United Continental has already said as much in its own filings.
But a spokesman for the other union called the filing premature and said the airlines are still independent.
Roughly 15,000 of the 24,000 flight attendants covered by the two unions work for United.
