AIRLINES : USAir Flies at 75%; Long Machinists’ Strike Unlikely

USAir Group Inc. said about 75% of its national flight schedule operated smoothly Tuesday, while industry analysts predicted an early end to the strike by the airline’s 8,300 machinists.

Negotiators for USAir and the machinists ended a second consecutive day of talks without progress, but they agreed to meet again today, a federal mediation spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the government is stepping up inspections of USAir’s maintenance operations to ensure flying safety during a strike by the airline’s machinists, an official said Tuesday.

“The inspectors are going in to check the records, check the work on the floor,” said Joann Sloane, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman. “It’s a precautionary step.”

Also, the Assn. of Flight Attendants said its members would return to work after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order directing them to cease honoring the machinists’ picket lines. But the union branded the ruling by U.S. District Judge Timothy Lewis as “an appalling example of the growing animosity toward labor in the federal courts.”

The case is scheduled for a preliminary injunction hearing on Thursday, the flight attendants union said in a press release. At that hearing the judge will consider whether to extend the temporary injunction.

Members of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers walked off the job Monday after the union and USAir failed to reach a new contract. The action initially forced cancellation of 40% of the airline’s flights.

Salomon Bros. analyst Julius Maldutis, one of the nation’s leading airline industry experts, said the No. 6-ranked U.S. airline will have to resort to big fare cuts to reclaim lost market share.

Other experts predicted a quick end to the strike, questioning how long the machinists would stay away from the job without support from the flight attendants or pilots.

“USAir is handling it well. The pilots have showed up, and the flight attendants must,” said County NatWest analyst Rose Ann Tortora.

“The machinists are known for long strikes, but in this market, about 10 people want your job.”