Fighting to stem effects of AA layoffs

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A lot of sweat and sacrifice has gone into every American Airlines jet that has passed through the company's 66-year-old maintenance base in Tulsa, and city leaders hope the 2,100 workers targeted for layoffs can land in some other portion of the region's aviation industry.

There has been limited success while the airline's parent, AMR Corp., works its way through bankruptcy court after losing $11 billion since 2001. The fear is the cutbacks could cost Tulsa more than 10 percent of workers in the region's aviation sector.

Tulsa Metro Chamber CEO Mike Neal's office has received calls from companies that said they needed employees.

A chamber spokeswoman says it's too soon to say which ones may absorb American Airlines losses, but they include energy and aviation fields.