Delta subsidiary Comair may cut up to 100 pilots

— -- Comair plans to lay off up to 100 pilots, nearly 10%, starting in September, but does not plan to cut any flight attendants, officials with the Kentucky-based regional airline confirmed Wednesday.

The moves come after corporate parent Delta Air Line's decision to cut 20% of Comair's flying in September.

"We are working with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) to explore every avenue for mitigating the impact," airline spokeswoman Christine Wever said in a statement. "The number of furloughs could be reduced based on the voluntary options we are able to put in place."

In a separate memo to its nearly 1,100 pilots, union officials said that the company is looking at four alternatives for layoffs – long-term unpaid leaves with a guaranteed return date, voluntary furloughs with no guaranteed return, permanent early buyouts and potential reduced work schedules on existing lines.

Airline furloughs usually mean that a worker's place is held in the seniority list if and when they are called back to work. Comair has already laid off nearly 300 pilots since October.

The company has not said how many non-flight crew workers would be impacted by the cuts.

Comair employs about 5,600 total, including 3,330 at its base near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The company recently shifted the majority of its flying to New York's JFK International Airport, but many flight crews still live in the Cincinnati area and commute to JFK.

The news comes two days after company president John Bendoraitis told all workers to expect more layoffs as a result of corporate parent Delta's system reduction planned for September.

Comair is expecting to lose about 20% of its flying between August and mid-September, while Delta is cutting 6-8% total systemwide as a result of the souring economy, rising oil prices and sagging demand for air travel. That includes a 17% cut in the number of flights locally at its hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International.