UAL to cut 1,200 jobs as part of earlier plan

CHICAGO (Reuters) - UAL Corp (UAUA.O), parent of United Airlines, on Wednesday said it would lay off almost 1,200 workers as part of a previously announced plan to trim staff by 7,000 jobs.

The layoffs are planned for early next year, a UAL spokeswoman said. Similar notices would continue into 2009, she said.

The company had 55,000 workers when the cuts were first announced.

The airline industry, battered severely this year first by soaring fuel costs and later by sagging travel demand, has been rapidly downsizing to regain stability.

(Reporting by Kyle Peterson; Editing by Gary Hill)