After three days of meetings ended on Wednesday, American Airlines and union leaders representing 18,000 flight attendants failed to reach a new deal.

The latest negotiations in Memphis extended the talks into a fourth year, with discussions between the two sides beginning in June of 2008.

Both sides seemed optimistic heading into the meetings, the first in over eight months, but as the talks came to a close, they were unable to reach a new agreement.

Laura Glading, president of The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, said that the airlines’ proposals “put some money in one pocket, yet took it from another.”

The latest standstill doesn’t appear to be the end of the dialogue, however. In an e-mailed statement, American Airlines spokeswoman Missy Latham said that the airline remains “committed and dedicated to this process in order to reach a new agreement.”

Source: Bloomberg