They are also transferring some A/C to Polar. Sounds like management is up to pitting the crews against each other.. .. . . .Atlas Air Announces Flight Crew Furlough . . . .Purchase, NY - March 22,2002 -- In response to continuing softness in demand for heavy lift air services, Atlas Air, Inc. today announced the furlough of a portion of its crewmember workforce. The furlough, effective May 1, will initially consist of 40 employees. This action is a follow-up to last year’s crewmember furlough.. .. .“We are currently in the low point of the annual freight cycle, which has been further impacted by the global manufacturing recession. As a result, our crewmember workforce is presently overstaffed,” said Richard Shuyler, Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Air, Inc. “While we continue to see signs of an economic recovery, it is only prudent to more closely match our crew staffing levels to the current level of activity in the market.”. .. .The furlough could ultimately include up to 170 crewmembers, depending on market conditions. In order to provide sufficient time to retrain crewmembers who will be reassigned to a different equipment type, the furlough will be phased in over a period of thirteen months. Atlas Air operates Boeing 747-400F’s and 747-200F’s; each aircraft type has certain unique training requirements. . .. .“It is never an easy decision to furlough valued employees,” Shuyler added. “However, it is necessary to take this difficult step to meet our current business needs. We hope that the economic conditions that prompted it will improve sooner rather than later, to a point that will obviate the need for the greater part of this furlough.” . .. .Atlas Air currently employs a total of 1,109 employees, of which 757 are pilots and flight engineers. . .. .Atlas Air, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CGO) and is a United States certificated air carrier. Atlas Air offers its customers a complete line of freighter services, specializing in ACMI contracts. These contracts include the provision by Atlas Air of the Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance for some of the world’s leading international carriers.