9.22.22 – Action Item: Urge AA Management To Reconsider Uprooting The Lives Of SFO Flight Attendants

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Action Item: Urge AA Management to Reconsider Uprooting the Lives of SFO Flight Attendants!

Last week, American management announced the closure of the San Francisco Flight Attendant base, disrupting the lives of 403 Flight Attendants and their families. Since then, APFA Leadership has been in constant contact with American Airlines to reverse this decision entirely or, at a minimum, delay the decision to allow our SFO-based Flight Attendants more time to make life-changing decisions. Children are in school, Flight Attendants have responsibilities caring for loved ones, and the closest base, 750 miles away, will not be available to every displaced Flight Attendant.

American Airlines, please reconsider this decision. SFO-based Flight Attendants are real people with real commitments, not just numbers.

Click Here to send the following letter to AA CEO Robert Isom: 

Mr. Isom,

I am writing today about the abrupt decision to close the SFO Flight Attendant base. There are 403 Flight Attendants who call SFO home and who feel abandoned and unsupported. This announcement was made with minimal preparation and planning since, as recently as last month, crew planning allowed transfers into the base. For a company that values reliability, these Flight Attendants feel like they have none.

While the decision to close a base may only come down to numbers for you, it greatly affects our lives and livelihoods. SFO has been home to American Airlines Flight Attendants for over 50 years. We have families here. Spouses with careers. Children settled in schools. Aging parents who depend on our support. Friends and communities essential to our mental health. Within days, SFO-based Flight Attendants must choose which nine other states they will work from, the closest of which is 750 miles away. They will have to decide whether they will commute across the country and leave their families behind for more days each month. When you are paid hourly, as we are, a forced commute is equivalent to taking a pay cut. Or, SFO-based Flight Attendants can choose to disrupt their families, sell their homes, and overhaul their lives. For many SFO-based Flight Attendants, this will be among the most difficult decision they ever have to make.

When the announcement was released, these Flight Attendants deserved answers to their questions. So many details had not yet been considered, turning these stressful circumstances into a slap in the face. Just as the airline is returning to profitability, and Flight Attendants are optimistic that our operation may soon return to normal, we are left asking why now. We should never choose profits over people. Our SFO-based Flight Attendants feel like just numbers in the system.

Management has let us down again. At a minimum, our SFO Flight Attendants need more time to figure out the impossible decisions they face. Out of consideration for your team members, I urge you to delay this closure so these Flight Attendants can better prepare to uproot their lives.