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The AFA replaced the Professional Flight Attendants Association last week following a member vote. The PFAA represented the 9,300 flight attendants in months-long talks that did not produce a deal that members would ratify.
The bankrupt carrier, No. 5 in the United States in terms of revenue, will enter talks with the AFA from a position of strength, having received court permission to impose new terms on the workers if a deal is not reached by Monday.
"We're anticipating that negotiations with Northwest management will begin tomorrow, and we expect them to continue through the weekend," AFA spokeswoman Corey Caldwell said. "It's very likely that we'll go to the July 17 deadline."
Northwest, which says it needs to cut its labor costs by $1.4 billion a year, had asked for court permission to void the contracts it has with unionized labor groups that have not yielded the requested concessions. Northwest has deals with its other workers.
The flight attendants rejected a PFAA-negotiated tentative agreement last month, plunging the union back into negotiations with the airline.
The AFA, which has more negotiating experience and much deeper pockets than the PFAA, may be able to strike a better deal for its members than its predecessor, said Anthony Sabino, law professor at St. John's University.
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