Donovan v. American Airlines, Inc.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

PATRICK E. HIGGINBOTHAM, District Judge.

The Secretary of Labor here contends that the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, 29 U.S.C. §§ 201 et seq., requires American Airlines, Inc. (“American”) to pay the minimum wage to flight attendants and airline reservation sales agents while they are full-time students in an American learning center. Most of the underlying facts are undisputed. 1

Flight Attendants

Twenty-four years ago, American opened its “Stewardess College” at Fort Worth, Texas. Other than its change to a flight attendant training program, reflecting the…