American Airlines warns it is overstaffed by about 8,000 flight attendants and might reduce its workforce through early retirements and voluntary leaves as the carrier looks to weather a hit to business from the COVID-19 pandemic. The company will reduce its international and transcontinental crew to the minimum required by the FAA, plus one flight attendant, effective from Oct. 1, 2020, Jill Surdek, American Airlines' VP of flight service, said in a letter to employees on Wednesday. US carriers have warned that furloughs could take place in October, when the government payroll aid for the airline industry expires, but said they were hoping to avoid them. "While we hope our customers continue returning to the skies in the coming months, the reality is that this pandemic has changed our business for years to come," Surdek said. The company said it would initiate early-out programs to minimize the need for furloughs and would address the excess numbers in the coming weeks. Separately, American Airlines said on Wednesday it expects its summer 2021 long-haul international capacity to be down 25% compared with 2019, as it sees significantly lesser business from its international market. <br/>