Delta Air Lines Inc. subsidiary Comair can toss out its contract with its flight attendants and impose concessions that the regional airline says it needs to emerge from bankruptcy, a judge ruled Friday.

Comair "has demonstrated beyond doubt that a material reduction in Comair's flight attendant costs is essential to the company's ability to be successful in the extraordinarily competitive regional airline market of today," wrote Judge Adlai Hardin of U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The airline and the union indicated they intended to continue their talks. The airline wants $7.9 million in concessions from the flight attendants...

An airline spokeswoman said the judge's ruling will have no immediate effect on its operations or negotiations that are scheduled to resume on Monday.

"I think the most important message is that we do not view today's ruling as a victory. Instead, it is a necessary step forward in our restructuring, which is critical in securing our future," Comair spokeswoman Kate Marx said.

A spokeswoman for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents Comair's flight attendants, declined to say if the judge's ruling would be appealed.

"We are going back to, hopefully, reach a consensual agreement next week at the bargaining table," spokeswoman Noa Oren said. "We're disappointed in the judge's ruling. But it does show that the company had to make a lot of changes in its proposal."