American Airlines is closing its flight attendant base at San Francisco, CA on January 31, 2023, potentially displacing around 400 crew members in a move widely regarded as linked to new California labour laws that require regular rest and meal breaks. On September 14, 2022, the airline already notified its flight crews that it was closing its San Francisco flight attendant base and Sacramento Int'l satellite base. The only other American Airlines crew base in California is at Los Angeles Int'l, but the crew will not be permitted to relocate there as Los Angeles already has a lengthy waiting list of about 200 crew members, the airline said in an internal letter. While American Airlines did not mention the new labour requirements, industry analysts believe its decision was clearly sparked by the new crew rest rules coming to California, which require that flight attendants get a 10-minute break every four hours, and a 30-minute meal break every five hours. During these, they may not be on call. John Masslon, a lawyer with the Washington Legal Foundation, believes American Airlines wants to minimise the effect the California regulations will have on its operations, which was why crews weren't allowed to transfer to Los Angeles. <br/>
oneworld
Qantas and Jetstar ended 2022 with 61 per cent of the domestic market – far lower than the 70% repeatedly predicted by Alan Joyce last year. It comes after a new analysis by the ACCC revealed Virgin flew 33.6% of all passengers in October and Rex 5.3%, numbers that remained “relatively stable” throughout the year. The figures are significant because the domestic industry is now back to around 90 per cent of pre-pandemic passenger traffic, meaning market share figures are likely to accurately reflect the reality of each airline’s performance long-term. Qantas CEO Joyce predicted during COVID that his airline group, which includes Jetstar, would secure “at least” a 70 per cent share of the market. Speaking with CNN last year, for example, Joyce said, “We’ll have 70% domestic share at least, a lot better than we had pre-COVID – that’s where we make the bulk of our money.” Virgin, however, has surpassed its own predictions, after last year stating it wanted to secure 33% of the market. The ACCC’s Airline Competition in Australia quarterly report, which contained the findings, also said it is “expecting” airfares to go down after the holidays end and more employees are recruited.<br/>