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American Airlines Closing Flight Attendant Base at SFO

American Airlines announced that it will be closing the flight attendant hub at San Francisco International Airport by the end of January 2023.

The announcement was a surprise for frequent flyers at SFO.

“I fly American all the time, this is my second flight in two weeks. So, obviously hubs are easier because they have more flights,” said Mae West.

More options, they’re a little bit cheaper.”

“We’ve had two weddings in the last month, I’ve taken American both times, all the way to the East Coast, now to Chicago,” said Sebastopol resident Margaret Howe.

According to a prepared statement, the airline does not expect to cut back on flights to and from San Francisco. But it says it doesn’t expect any growth either.

Aviation Analyst Mike McCaran said closing the hub could complicate future service at SFO.

“If you have bad weather and you’re trying to get crews in here, you’re not gonna have any local based crews.,” he said. “Or if somebody gets sick and you have to replace someone on the crew, you have to fly them in from some other place, that could cause a delay.”

Dallas-based American Airlines has been scaling back its footprint at SFO for years now.

In 2020, it switched to a new but smaller space in Terminal 1. It used to take up most of Terminal 2 at SFO.

About 10 years ago, the airline closed its pilot hub here.

American Airlines’ decision to close its flight attendant base at SFO will affect 400 employees.

A portion of American Airlines statement read in part:

“This isn’t a decision we take lightly, and we’re committed to working with the SFO team to ensure a smooth transition to another base if they choose to continue flying.”

But a letter sent to flight attendants, the company said relocating to nearby Los Angeles International is not an option and American is also closing down its Sacramento flight attendant satellite hub, meaning any move requires leaving California.


Source: NBC Bay Area

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