American Airlines to close SFO base, displacing over 400 flight attendant

American Airlines to close SFO base, displacing over 400 flight attendant

Gray Frame Corner

American Airlines announced that over 400 San Francisco-based flight attendants would be forced to transfer to new locations after it closes its Bay Area base, 

Gray Frame Corner

According to a union representative for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.

Gray Frame Corner

The Flight Attendant base at SFO will be closing on January 21, 2023. 

Gray Frame Corner

The base currently serves as a home base for flight attendants from Sacramento, San Jose and the San Francisco area

Gray Frame Corner

The SFO APFA Base President Tim Schwartz says that the flight attendants will be able to bid for nearby bases except LAX, which the company says is already overstaffed.

Gray Frame Corner

Schwartz says that he has been working at the San Francisco base since 1998. He says he has seen the airline business ebb and flow over the years, including economic slowdowns in 2008 and 2020.

Gray Frame Corner

One problem that many of the flight attendants will be facing is uprooting their lives entirely.

Gray Frame Corner

“I would probably say the top 250 out of the 400 are rooted and grounded here in the Bay Area. They own homes here, they have kids that have been born and raised here,” Schwartz said.

Gray Frame Corner