About 150 Japanese flight attendants at United Airlines Inc. based in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, are at risk of losing their jobs by Oct. 1 when the U.S. carrier closes three of its international bases, their union has said.
While the company said those affected can move to bases in the United States if they have a right to work in the country, some 700 flight attendants at Narita, Hong Kong and Germany's Frankfurt do not have such a right, according to the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.
Some 350 flight attendants are based at Narita and 180 of them are Japanese, said Tony Wetterer, head of the union's council in the city. Only about 30 have a U.S. work permit.