Mechanics begin talks with United Airlines officials.

(From Agence France Presse)

Troubled United Airlines and company mechanics renewed talks in a bid to hammer out a deal that could spare UAL from declaring bankruptcy.

United officials said Saturday that they and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers will try to craft a new plan that could be put before the union's 13,000 mechanics early this week.

The new attempt at compromise comes after flight attendants agreed to a substantial pay cut in a bid to save the employee-owned company from bankruptcy.

But it was not immediately clear whether it would be enough to help the troubled carrier ward off a collapse.

Members of the Association of Flight Attendants overwhelmingly ratified a contract with management that will cut operating expenses by some 412 million dollars in the next five and a half years, the union announced.

The final tally showed that 87 percent of flight attendants voted to endorse the pay cut.