The Delta union lost its fight to cover workers, an unexpected result as union representation is typical in the industry.
It was the largest of several such elections at Delta in the wake of its 2008 merger with the much more heavily unionized Northwest Airlines, and it could be a bellwether for the outcomes in others.
A win Wednesday for the Association of Flight Attendants would have been huge for the union, which failed in two previous efforts at Delta prior to the Northwest merger.
"We believe this is one of the most important decisions our employees will make in their careers," had said Gina Laughlin, a spokeswoman for the airline, whose management has aggressively fought back against union claims that workers will be better off with representation.
Anti-union activist and flight attendant Wayne Hocking said the debate has led to some rude exchanges and name-calling among flight attendants.
"Both sides have passion," Hocking said. "It's a lot of emotion."
Once the election is done, he added, "What I'm hoping for is that we can all come together and just have peace . . . It's going to be a big healing process."
