Flight Attendant Union Advocates For Commitment To Puerto Rico
Washington, DC – American Eagle Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), today issued the following statement from AFA President Robert Barrow after recent reports regarding the future of the San Juan base:
“AFA will ensure Flight Attendants play a key role in the restructuring process at American Eagle. We encourage management to work closely with AFA for innovative and creative ways to reduce the impact of the bankruptcy on Flight Attendants.
“Over the course of our extensive meetings it became apparent that a lack of aircraft, resulting from the return rate of the current ATR fleet, will put the future of the San Juan, Puerto Rico Flight Attendant base at stake. Based on the return rate, and the fact that Dallas’ Executive Airlines ATR operations have ceased and Miami’s ATR operation have begun a scheduled phase out, the future of the San Juan base is in flux. Only ATR aircraft are flown at the San Juan base. AFA has advocated that management make a commitment to sustain airline operations out of San Juan and continue to focus on it as a cornerstone market.
“While we await an official statement regarding the future of this base, AFA will continue to work tirelessly through this difficult bankruptcy process to ensure that Flight Attendants and their families are protected.”
The Association of Flight Attendants is the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for over 65 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 60,000 Flight Attendants at 21 airlines come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
