1.20.23 – APFA LAX Base Brief – A Message From Your National President

Friday, January 20, 2023

Hello Los Angeles,

As you are aware, Tim McMahan, Director, American Airlines Flight Service, recently sent a message concerning the state of the LAX Flight Attendant Crew Base, which, in a word, was offensive to not only the LAX Flight Attendants but everyone at APFA.

We have had numerous meetings with the company related to the LAX Flight Attendant crew base concerning the post-pandemic flying, staffing, displaced Flight Attendants, and the number of reserves the company is allocating for LAX month over month. We have absenteeism data showing how the overly inflated reserve numbers in LAX negatively impact the lives of the Flight Attendants in LAX.

In the end, the company’s focus is on one thing: reliability. Rather than adjust and improve the quality of sequences or reduce the number of reserves, the company has decided that the LAX Flight Attendants are solely to blame for the current situation. The company is putting its shortcomings squarely on the shoulders of the Flight Attendants and not taking any responsibility. Additionally, the company could address the issue of absenteeism with those individual Flight Attendants who are consistently abusing the system; instead, they would rather blame the entire base for management’s inability to hold those accountable. In the end, the company created its attendance policy but wants us all to do the job of administering its policy.

To be clear, the way the company addressed the issue was inappropriate. Blaming all the Flight Attendants in the base for the failure of flight service to address this individually is inexcusable. APFA will continue to address the issues concerning LAX, and we are open to possible solutions that don’t involve threats of downsizing or displacements.

We recommend emailing Brady Byrnes ([email protected]) and Tim McMahan ([email protected]) on this issue.

I, along with your LAX Base President, John Nikides, will be scheduling an in-person meeting with American’s top leadership in DFW, including COO David Seymour, to address the situation. I have requested dates and anticipate a meeting in February.

In Solidarity,

Julie Hedrick
APFA National President
[email protected]