Catering business Flying Food Group abruptly lays off 72 workers at SFO
A catering business serving San Francisco International Airport that has struggled in recent years with working conditions is expected to lay off 72 employees this fall, according to a WARN the company filed this month with state employment officials.
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Flying Food Group, a national brand with 19 facilities, including those at SFO and Los Angeles International Airport, is closing its location in Burlingame and permanently cutting employees — mostly station attendants, porters, management and a cook — on Oct. 13, the notice said.
Airport Director Mike Nakornkhet said last year that the Flying Food Group was under at SFO. Many employees are represented by Unite Here Local 2. Calls to the union were not returned before the time of publication.
There are about 30 drivers for the caterer who are represented by Teamsters Local 2785 at SFO. Joseph Cilia, the union’s principal officer, told SFGATE that the drivers were not affected by the layoffs and said the cuts are in response to airline consolidation.
“Alaska Airlines purchased Hawaiian and that affected their runs,” Cilia said. “They went to another caterer.”
Alaska announced in 2023 that it was acquiring Hawaiian Airlines, and in the years since, Hawaiian has gradually folded within the bigger airline.
A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines told SFGATE that the layoffs are because of a business consolidation and their catering needs in Bay Area remain unchanged as work shifts among their partners.
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According to the union, the caterer, which also supplies meals to Air France, ANA, Lufthansa and other airlines, has struggled to improve working conditions at SFO and LAX.
The San Francisco Standard reported earlier this year that workers had raised concerns about working conditions since 2021. A Flying Food Group worker described a fire that broke out at LAX in January, which led to an evacuation of the catering staff.
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SFGATE reached out to the Chicago-based Flying Good Group for comment but did not receive a response before the time of publication.
This article has been updated.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 6:06 p.m., Aug. 25, to correct the location of the fire.
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