Have Until June 30 To Hammer Out Deal

If you're planning to fly Northwest Airlines in the near future... you're probably OK holding onto those tickets, at least for the next month.

As you may recall, last week flight attendants at the bankrupt carrier rejected the latest contract offer from the airline. That led Northwest to ask US Bankruptcy Court judge Allan Gropper to allow the airline to force a deal on the flight attendants union... and the Professional Flight Attendants Association to, in turn, threaten a crippling strike if that happened.

After representatives with Northwest met with the judge in closed chambers Friday, however, Northwest agreed to return to the bargaining table one last time.

"My perception is that after that happened Friday, they didn't get what they wanted. They had nowhere else to go," PFAA president Guy Meek told the Associated Press.

Negotiations are slated to begin Wednesday in Minneapolis, and continue through the month.

This is likely the last chance for an amicable agreement, as if the two sides don't reach a deal by June 30, Northwest would be allowed to impose new wages and work rules on its workers. If that should happen, flight attendants would have to wait until July 15 to strike.

FMI: www.nwa.com, www.pfaa.com