HOUSTON --
Hundreds of Houstonians will lose their jobs at Continental Airlines, officials said Monday.
Continental merged with United Airlines last year. When the merger was completed in October, company officials vowed to keep paying some management and clerical employees based in Houston through the end of March.
According to the airline on Monday, about 500 employees will be laid off between April 1 and June 30. The airline said the layoffs will not affect anyone on the front lines.
"This is a large layoff, but it's not one of the largest, so I don't know if it will have as much an impact on the community as it will on the individuals," said Sue Cruver with Texas Workforce Solutions.
Texas Workforce Solutions said it plans to work with the airline employees who lose their jobs by helping with their job search and to provide financial and psychological counseling, if necessary.
In a statement, the Greater Houston Partnership said the loss of jobs was not unexpected.
"Ultimately, the Greater Houston Partnership is confident that the merger between United and Continental will result in a positive net growth in jobs for our region," the group said. "We are pleased that George Bush Intercontinental Airport will be the largest hub of the world's largest airline. This foundation will allow us to grow jobs over time to make up for the initial losses. Houston's friendly and attractive business climate, compared to other major cities, will always be appealing to United/Continental Holdings as it continues its integration and operates as one airline."
A company spokeswoman said United is continuing to assess the needs of the new organization structure. That will determine how many employees are needed in each department of the merged airline.
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