American Airlines Flight Attendants with Pillows

American Airlines flight attendants, who are negotiating a new contract with American management, will be handing out pillows Friday at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, New York LaGuardia, Miami and Los Angeles to draw passenger attention to their efforts.

The pillows will have "PAXforPAX" printed on them, "pax" being Latin for "peace" and airline-speak for "passenger. Says the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. The campaign focuses on improving air travel for both passengers and flight attendants. APFA is in negotiations with the carrier to fix some of the most pressing issues facing flight attendants including improving working conditions, restoring pay and overhauling the flight attendant's scheduling systems.

Despite making sacrifices to stave off bankruptcy in 2003, American flight attendant's pay and benefits have been reduced by 33% while workload has increased 47%, resulting in less time with their families. Meanwhile, American Airlines executives have rewarded themselves with $366 million in bonuses over the last three years.