America West Plans To Boost Work Force

America West is adding more than 50 employees, including mechanics, after a federal inspection raised questions about its maintenance procedures, federal regulators said Wednesday.

The Federal Aviation Administration conducted an inspection of the Phoenix-based airline from June 25 to July 12, said William White, deputy director for flight standard services.

While some problems were found, the airline has cooperated in making corrections and meets all federal requirements, he said.

He said the FAA acted because of changes in the way the airline was handling maintenance. America West laid off 400 mechanics last December and hired outside contractors to do the work.