This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

On Tuesday, October 27, our pre-merger Alaska Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Rebekah Olds (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Russel Rivinius (PDX), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Kanako Yamado (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, PBS Subcommittee Member Adam Clarey, MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative Julie Thornton, and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones were also present.

The Committee met with Managing Director of Inflight Performance & Crew Scheduling Sara Cook, Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling Terrance Chariandy, Manager of Inflight Crew Scheduling Goose Hlaingmyint, Managing Director of Operations Staffing and Resource Management Brittany Audette, Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Manager of Crew Planning Colin Beard, ITS Technical Product Owner Nathan McFerren, Manager of Crew Pay Debbie Bakke and other management representatives from Crew Planning, Crew Scheduling, information technology (ITS), and payroll.

The Committee is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday, November 24.

Topics of Discussion

Local Highlights & Issues

• Anchorage (ANC):
  • Some Flight Attendants traveling to recurrent training have reported falling ill upon arriving at their hotels. Currently, there is no accessible, written guidance outlining protocol when travel delays impact contractual legal rest or when a Flight Attendant must call in sick from a training hotel. The Committee is asking for clear, published procedures and locations for these documents.
• Seattle (SEA):
  • The Committee reviewed the SEA Open Time settlement for 1 TFP, and follow-up tickets on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center will be updated accordingly.
  • A payroll dispute is actively being challenged after action taken by aircraft mechanic changed sit time and payroll improperly denied the resulting compensation claim; this case is being pursued to establish clear protections for schedule changes driven by maintenance.
  • Sn overlap between the October and November bid months blocked a Flight Attendant from viewing schedule information until ITS manually released it.
  • The Committee called on management to update the outdated “Known Issues” portal, which has languished without updates since February 18.
• Portland (PDX):
  • Crew Planning is reviewing concerns regarding PDX turns featuring extended sits—often exceeding two hours—in outstations without domiciles or designated crew rest facilities (such as PHX, LAS, SNA, and SAN). The committee is advocating for tighter turns and the elimination of non-productive ground time.
  • Inquiries were pressed regarding mid-sequence trip reassignments occurring without obvious operational disruptions like delays or misconnects.
  • Some Flight Attendants inquiring about sick bank changes have faced conflicting instructions from Crew Scheduling; members needing to change sick leave bank usage are reminded to submit a Rainmaker inquiry.
  • Regarding ANC–NRT flying, the route is expected to be locked for three months, and the Committee is seeking to clarify how future seasonal flying will be treated (hard lock vs. soft lock).
• San Francisco (SFO):
  • The committee addressed an incident where a Flight Attendant picked up a premium turn, misconnected, was forced to overnight, returned to duty on a multi-day trip, and was subsequently held in Seattle for 24 hours on a scheduled day off. While the Legality Desk intervened and made the Flight Attendant whole, the Committee is seeking clarity on how 24/7 rest is calculated and managed during irregular operations.
• Los Angeles (LAX):
  • The LGB station designator problem (which mistakenly linked LGB flying to BUR) has been resolved.
  • The Committee continues to push for a fix to month-end out-of-base trades; currently, trades crossing the month-end boundary cannot process directly, forcing Flight Attendants to post and pick up trips manually. AFA has requested this defect be published on the Known Issues log.
• San Diego (SAN):
  • No new local contractual or scheduling disputes were reported for this period.

PBS & Pairing Construction

• November Award Delays: Processing times for November bid awards were substantially prolonged across the system, culminating in a 17-hour final award run in Seattle and doubled run times in other domiciles. Concentrated coverage demands across seven consecutive days forced the solver algorithm to build from limited legal pairings. The Committee is closely tracking December and January—which also feature consecutive high-demand holiday windows—to prevent repeat bottlenecks.
• Bid Protests & Coverage: Most November bid protests involved heavy coverage constraints preventing the system from building legal lines to minimum TFP.
• December Pairing Selection: For the December bid period, the “operational run” was selected. Although it represents the most expensive construction option for the company, it provides better quality of life: more turns, an increased number of two-day sequences, commutability considerations, and 1,000 fewer aircraft swaps.
• Software Testing: PBS Release 26.5 is in User-Acceptance Testing (UAT). The Committee identified a significant flaw and will not approve advancing the release until management resolves it.

Crew Planning & Staffing Outlook

• December Flying: System flying is projected at 342,540 block hours with an average line value of 80 TFP. Reserve staffing is budgeted at an average of 21.6% across bases, with PDX elevated to 23.6%. No Staffing Adjustment Leaves (SAL) or Low Bid Options (LBO) will be available in December.
• Red-Eye Flying & Commutability: System red-eye flying averages 21% (highest in SEA at 26%; lowest in LAX and SFO at 13%). Commutability remains particularly difficult in SFO and PDX.
• IROP Mitigation & Teaming: In-and-back flying will continue through December to reinforce operational stability. Pilot teaming is scheduled to roll out on December 16 through that Friday.
• New-Hire Pipeline: One class is currently in session and will graduate to the line in mid-December. Management projects hiring and onboard training for approximately 500 new Flight Attendants across the first six months of 2027.

Crew Scheduling Operations & Reserve Trends

• Absences & Sick Leave: The system absence rate was 13.4% in September (down slightly from August) and is trending at 13.7% for October. Total absences are up 22% year-over-year (86,194 through September 2026 vs. 70,654 in 2025). Sick online incidents totaled 104 in September (with 58% occurring during RONs) and 59 month-to-date in October.
• Low-Bid Program Review: While September low-bid lineholders recorded an absence rate of 11.0% (compared to 13.6% for the broader population), October partial data showed low-bid absences climbing to 14.5% (against a 13.79% population average). Management is no offering low bids over the coming months, but they remain open to offering it in the future. Instead, they will raise reserve thresholds, while studying reserve utilization, worked TFP, and absence data through January.
• Reserve Utilization & Reassignments: System reserve utilization sat at 92.5% in September (down from 94.5% in August). Schedulers executed 823 involuntary reassignments under Section 10.R.4 in September. The Committee pressed management on the operational fallout and downstream burden that frequent reassignment churn creates for Flight Attendants.
• Drops & Fatigue: Premium pay spending remains high to backfill open flying, while schedule flexibility remains tight: only two Personal Drops were granted in September and none in October to date. Flight Attendants submitted 23 fatigue reports in September (17 reserves, 6 lineholders) and 17 reports month-to-date in October.

Crew Pay & Rainmaker Updates

• Inquiry Volume & Timing: Crew Pay resolved 1,635 Flight Attendant inquiries out of 2,716 received in September.
• Avoiding Unnecessary Inquiries: Flight Attendants are encouraged to consult the contractual timelines in the Pay Guide prior to filing. In September, 723 inquiries were submitted before Crew Pay had even reached its regular audit deadlines, and 536 were non-applicable. Routine audits catch most pay discrepancies automatically.
• Duplicate Submissions: Crew Pay analyst response times average several business days. Submitting duplicate inquiries after an analyst has already replied slows resolution times for the entire membership.
• Hardware Replacement: If your IMD is replaced, a crew pay inquiry is not required unless you are currently on an active leave of absence.
• Guide Updates: Rainmaker and payroll procedures are undergoing comprehensive joint review; updated guides are scheduled for publication in mid-November.

Inflight Technology (ITS)

• Open-Time Performance: A total of 92,477 trades processed in October without system outages, with 98.02% (90,646 trades) finishing in under 10 seconds.

What The Committee Is Working On

1. Crew Access Update: Anticipating and actively testing the JCTE update for implementation scheduled for October 21. The committee will provide full updates on system changes once testing is completed. The update is rescheduled for November 11, 2026. 

2. Chime In-App Chat: The Committee and Crew Scheduling are collaborating on a direct chat feature inside Chime, allowing Flight Attendants to communicate with Crew Schedulers without waiting on hold.

3. Rainmaker Joint Review: The next quarterly meeting focused on Rainmaker enhancements and workflow fixes is set for November 18.

We Want to Hear From You!

Whether you have feedback for the Committee, concerns to share, or items you’d like brought up with management – don’t hesitate to let us know. Your Local Scheduling Committee is here to be your voice to management. You can easily open a support ticket on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or directly contact us using the information provided on the Scheduling Committee page of the AFA Alaska + Hawaiian website.

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

On Tuesday, September 29, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Rebekah Olds (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Kanako Yamado (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson – PBS Virginia Fritz, MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative Julie Thornton, and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones were also present.

The Committee met with Managing Director of Inflight Performance & Crew Scheduling Sara Cook, Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling Terrance Chariandy, Manager of Inflight Crew Scheduling Goose Hlaingmyint, Managing Director of Operations Staffing and Resource Management Brittany Audette, Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Manager of Crew Planning Colin Beard, ITS Technical Product Owner Nathan McFerren, Manager of Crew Pay Debbie Bakke and other management representatives from Crew Planning, Crew Scheduling, information technology (ITS), and payroll.

The Committee is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday, October 27.

General Overview

• System Pressure: Systemwide absences reached a two-year high in August, up 20% year-over-year.
• Reserve Exhaustion: Reserve utilization remained above 93% for the third consecutive month, while SEA operates in a state of near-total reserve saturation (97.7%).
• Cascading Impact: Extremely tight reserve coverage is directly causing higher Open Time, reassignment spikes, deadhead conversions, and elevated premium pay reliance.
• Committee Action: Our Scheduling Committee is actively pushing management for increased reserve buffers, faster pay and fatigue audit processing, and strict contractual adherence heading into the fourth quarter.

Crew Scheduling & Operational Health (August 2026 Data)

• Systemwide Reserve Utilization: Averaged 94.5% in August, marking the fifth consecutive month in the mid-90% range (94.7% in June, 93.8% in July).
  • SEA: Reached 97.7%. SEA has remained above 97.5% since June, leaving no reserve buffer and converting unexpected absences directly into Open Time, reassignments, and premium pay
  • ANC: 93.8%
  • SFO: 90.1
  • SAN: 89.0%
• Systemwide Sick Leave: Overall rate was 13.7%. Lineholders averaged ~14.0% and Reserves averaged ~13.2%. Sick-on-line calls caused 14 flight cancellations during the month.
• Absence Volume: Total absences reached 76,000 year-to-date through August (a 20% increase from ~63,400 during the same period last year).
  • Reserve absences jumped 39% (from 12,600 to 17,500).
  • Lineholder absences increased 15% (from 50,800 to 58,500).
  • August was the highest single month recorded, with 11,832 total absences (including 9,045 lineholder absences).
• Sick-on-Line Trends (Jan–Sep): 890 total calls (~100 per month), peaking at 119 in June and dropping to 89 in February.
  • Lineholders accounted for 60% of calls; Reserves accounted for 40% (meaning reserves become sick away from base at a disproportionately high rate).
  • 517 calls occurred away from domicile during an overnight; 371 calls occurred at domicile.
• Premium Pay Usage: Reached 87.1% in August (up from 84.2% in July and 77.9% in June), heavily driven by thunderstorms and constrained reserve levels.
• Reassignments & Conversions: Recorded 1203 total reassignments and 538 deadhead-to-working conversions.
• Fatigue Calls: 49 fatigue reports were submitted in August, reflecting ongoing concern regarding workload and schedule sustainability.
• Scheduling Staffing: New schedulers are transitioning to the floor, targeting a total complement of 47 schedulers by the end of 2026.

Crew Planning Parameters (November 2026 Projections)

• Block Hours: Projected at approximately 313,749 TFP, slightly lower than recent monthly totals.
• Line Value & Reserve Allocation: Systemwide average line value is targeted at ~80 TFP, with reserve levels set near 22%.
• LBO / SAL: No Low-Bid Option (LBO) or Staffing Adjustment Leaves (SAL) are offered.
• Holiday Schedule A: Begins November 20, introducing greater pairing variety but reducing schedule pattern consistency.
• Commuter Challenges: November 2026 vs. November 2025 trip distribution reviews show PDX and SFO remain the most challenging bases for commuting.
• Base Red-Eye Flying:
  • SAN: 26%
  • SEA: 24%
  • ANC: 21%
  • SFO: 15%
  • PDX: 13%
  • LAX: 11%

Technology, Systems & Automation Update

• AICS Crew Bid System Launch: Scheduled to launch during the fourth quarter. AICS is set to replace current legacy processes for vacancy bids, transfer bids, and temporary base trades. A system demonstration is currently underway, and a formal implementation timeline and communication plan will be provided.
• Open-Time Trading Performance: Processed 89,618 legal and illegal trades. Approximately 98.3% completed in under 1 second, showing strong processing speed.
• Open-Time Monitoring: No active issues identified during September monitoring. System memory improvements have been made, with further updates coming in November.
• JCTE & Crew Access Upgrades: JCTE release 10.2 MR25 is anticipated in late October, with Crew Access testing targeted for implementation on October 21.
• PBS & NAVBLUE System Performance:
  • October bid awards experienced long run times and high system workload. A ticket was opened with NAVBLUE, and recommendations are being reviewed with Crew Planning.
  • NAVBLUE Release 26.3.1043 testing is complete; release 26.3 is undergoing user-acceptance testing. Upgrades will be avoided during holiday bid periods unless strictly necessary.
  • Crew Planning added new support staff experienced with NAVBLUE and contract rules.
• AI Pairing Tool Development: Crew Planning is evaluating an early-stage AI tool to test pairing options. Planners are also evaluating hard-locking 4k pairings prior to launch, subject to further testing.

Local Committee Chairperson Reports

Seattle (SEA)

• Pay & PPP Questions: High call volume regarding Standard of Pay and PPP calculations when trips are reassigned, removed, or altered.
• Fatigue Processing Delays: Fatigue Review Board processing takes several weeks up to a month to evaluate reports, determine pay, and issue responses.
• Contractual Clarifications: Seeking clear definitions for 8.S turns vs. 10.R reassignments and compensation. Additional inquiries remain open regarding Neighbor Island TFP, vacation rules, ISA provisions, commuter recovery, open-time drops, B2B refresh bugs, and California state-law notifications for base swaps.

Portland (PDX)

• Charter Flying Issue: Unresolved issues remain regarding double-out rest and denial scenarios.
• Deadhead Automation Bugs: Deadhead seating continues to be impacted by system automation; specific examples were submitted for investigation.

San Diego (SAN)

• California Timekeeping: Requesting operational details regarding timekeeping procedures effective October 1, 2026.
• 8.S Pairings: Seeking clarification on deadhead assignments on 8.S pairings regarding seating, duty limits, and pay.

Anchorage (ANC)

• Schedule Options: Flight Attendants report a shortage of morning Seattle turns.
• Pay Inquiry Delays: Pay audit responses are frequently delayed, with tracking notes entered but formal responses arriving after pay period closure.
• Hotel Concerns: Following up on hotel wait times, ticket compensation, and delay procedures prior to transport/hotel assignment.

Los Angeles (LAX)

• Month-End Trades: Out-of-domicile trades overlapping the 17th processing deadline required manual post-deadline handling.
• Passport Processing Policy: A Flight Attendant with a full passport book was classified as Flight-Illegal (FIL) while awaiting new pages; the Committee requested clarification on protocols for passport processing delays.

San Francisco (SFO)

• Hotel Transportation Procedures: Clarifying expectations and reporting requirements when Flight Attendants do not utilize company-provided hotel transport.

Pay Audits & Irregular Operations Mitigations

• Flight Attendant Crew Pay Audit Results: 2,058 inquiries were resolved in August. Approximately 753 inquiries were filed earlier than required and would have been captured in standard audits. AFA and management are working to clarify filing timelines.
• Summer IROP Mitigations: Management detailed operational fixes used during summer disruptions:
  • Adjusted start-of-duty times in SAN for transcontinental flights due to airport construction.
  • Increased EWR layovers to 12:00 for air traffic control delays, with adjusted morning departure duty times to PDX/SEA.
  • Extended crew-connect times in ANC, PDX, SEA, and SFO.
  • Increased PHX and LAS layovers to 11:00 (and early PHX rest to 11:30) for rest protection.
  • Adjusted duty times for LAS–ANC, SFO–JFK, and ANC arrivals from DLG/AKN.
  • Flight Attendant and Pilot teaming will continue through February 2027 to improve operational alignment.

What The Committee Is Working On

1. 2027 Meeting Scheduling: Scheduling 2027 dates on the calendar for next year’s committee meetings and activities.
2. Vacation Bidding & Awarding: Assisting Flight Attendants with questions and concerns regarding accruals, bidding, and trading for 2027. Vacation trading for 2027 officially begins on October 28. If you feel there was an error in your accrual or award, please contact FA.crewpay@alaskaair.com for assistance.
3. Crew Access Update: Anticipating and actively testing the JCTE update for implementation scheduled for October 21. The committee will provide full updates on system changes once testing is completed.

We Want to Hear From You!

Whether you have feedback for the Committee, concerns to share, or items you’d like brought up with management – don’t hesitate to let us know. Your Local Scheduling Committee is here to be your voice to management. You can easily open a support ticket on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or directly contact us using the information provided on the Scheduling Committee page of the AFA Alaska + Hawaiian website.

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

On Tuesday, July 21, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met in person at Alaska Global Training Center to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Rebekah Olds (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Kanako Yamado (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, PBS Committee member —Krystal Kehrli, MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative Julie Thornton, and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones were also present.

The Committee met with Managing Director of Inflight Performance & Crew Scheduling Sara Cook, Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling Terrance Chariandy, Manager of Inflight Crew Scheduling Goose Hlaingmyint, Managing Director of Ops Staffing and Resource Management Brittany Audette, Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Manager of Crew Planning Colin Beard, ITS Technical Product Owner Nathan McFerren, Manager of Crew Pay Debbie Bakke and other management representatives from Crew Planning, Crew Scheduling, information technology (ITS), and payroll.

The Committee is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday, August 25.

Topics of Discussion

The Committee reviewed several topics during internal AFA-only conversations and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:

Upcoming Meetings

• Meeting Schedule: Regular meetings set for August 25, September 29, October 27, November 24, and December 29.
• Scheduling Review Board (SRB) and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) meetings scheduled through December 2026.
• JCTE updates are expected in Q3 2026.
• AI Crew Solutions: Meeting on November 4, 2025, to discuss vacation awards and slot processing. We are moving forward with the implementation process, hopefully this fall in the 4th quarter. 
• Monitoring: Active monitoring of Flight Attendant OT every 16th of the month at designated times.

MEC Committee Chairperson Report

• Crew Backlog: Review pending. Need to set up additional dates to review the items that require change requests and bug fixes. The list is short, as most of the items from the prior negotiations have been implemented. 
• Fatigue Review Board: Scheduled meetings throughout the rest of 2026. This is a bi-weekly meeting. 
• Pay Disputes: Ongoing discussions regarding pyramiding pay and specific grievances filed by AFA. We recently resolved a dispute with Section 8.F and 8.G and posted the MOU. 

Local Committee Chairperson Reports

• PDX: Issues with ITS visibility and scheduling blocks for trips.
• SAN: Concerns about redeye flights and parking fees; requests for a pay chart.
• ANC: Issues with downgrades, reassignment processes, and hotel room rates.
• LAX: Reliability of B2B contact and quality of trips under review.
• SFO: Requests for presentations on open base flying and pay regulations regarding overpayments. .
• SEA: Various pay and scheduling issues highlighted, including double out crew rest, reassignments and conversions from DHD to working and vice versa. 

PBS Subcommittee Update

• Bidding Engagement: Good engagement noted for August. 
• Bid Awards: Processed as expected; higher minimum windows needed to meet management’s desire for higher reserve percentages. 

Alaska ITS Update

• NAVLBUE Testing: Completed testing of recent updates; ongoing issues with trip visibility.
• Trading Volume: Notable increase in Open Time trades; stability in trading noted.
• Jeppesen and Alaska management continue to monitor Flight Attendant trip postings that were reported to have an issue with being visible immediately in the system. 

Alaska Payroll Update

• Query Counts: Increase in pay queries, with a focus on timely closure before payroll processing.
• Audit Processes: Weekly audits are in place, but some issues remain unresolved. All inquiries must be closed prior to payroll being processed.  Please wait a week before filing your inquiries on trips, as most of the contractual items are resolved in the audit process. If you have inquiries after payroll processes, the pay analyst will review those as well. 

Alaska Crew Planning Update

• Staffing Challenges: Anticipated higher absenteeism leading to a need for additional reserves.
• Operational Changes: Ongoing discussions about schedule changes affecting Flight Attendants’ quality of life.
• Trip Distribution: Reductions in red-eye duty for September; extensive review of trip pairings planned.
• The Committee asked management about the 717/737 changes to Hawaii neighbor island flying, and we should see what those pairings will look like in the near future. Crew planning will work with the AFA Scheduling Committee Pairing Construction Subcommittee to determine how the pairings will appear in the system. 
• Irregular Operations (IRROP) mitigation:
  • SAN start of duty JFK/BOS/IAD/MCO/DCA
  • EWR layovers 12 hours ATC
  • End of duty AM departures EWR to PDX/SEA
  • Increased crew connect times
  • Layover increase to 11 hours PHX/LAS
  • Rest before PHX 11:30 AM departures  – crew rest delays
  • Rest before GEG to PDX start flight increased to 12 hours – crew rest delays
  • End-of-duty DLG and AKN to ANC; summer TSA mitigation.
  • Flight Attendant teaming still in effect.

Alaska Crew Scheduling Update

• Sick Leave Statistics: Increased sick leave noted; reserve utilization remains high on mainline Alaska.  Sick leave and fatigue are much lower on the Hawaiian operational side. 
• Premium Compensation: Adjustments to premium compensation based on significant events and operational demands. We are seeing some premium posted a week in advance to help allow Flight Attendants to pick up earlier to assist with operational needs. 
• New Leadership: Recent changes in management structure to enhance scheduling operations. Tiara Taulolo started as a temporary supervisor on June 20, and Jacob Fordham started as a new manager on July 20. Alaska crew scheduling plans to have approximately 48 crew schedulers in the department by the end of the year. A few new crew scheduler classes are planned in September (14 new hires) and October (5 new hires)
• Statistics July MTD: There have been no personal drops or TSN adjustments. 10.R.4 reassignments for the system are at 553.  Deadhead conversions under 10.X.7 are at 287 system wide. Fatigue Reports are shown 24, with 18 of those reserves. Alaska reserve utilization for the system is 93.6%, while Hawaiian is 50.6%. Sick leave for Alaska, both lineholders and reserves, is at 12.4%, with some days having over 400 sick calls.

What The Committee Is Working On

1. Resolving Pyramiding Pay Disputes: Discussions are ongoing through the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) process to clarify payment rules for over-duty pay and day-off violations. Our Grievance Committee is filing grievances regarding several concerns with pyramid pay. These discussions are still ongoing with Labor Relations management. AFA has filed several grievances and still has not received a pyramiding pay chart from payroll or labor relations and our requests go unanswered. 
2. Vacation Bidding: Representatives from the Committee met with management to discuss the new vendor, AI Crew Solutions. It was determined that when a Flight Attendant either doesn’t hold a bid or forgets to bid, they will be allowed to bid in the 2nd round of vacation. The current process assigns slot 1 and slot 2. We will provide educational material and information when bidding begins next year on the new platforms. We have additional meetings to discuss implementation and buddy bidding. We are currently testing and reviewing the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) environment. This is scheduled for implementation in the 4th quarter of 2026. 
3. Flow Charts: These are posted on the AFA website to help guide you through contractual understanding and irregular ops here: 2025-2028 AFA Alaska CBA Reference Documents 01.26.2026
4. Block2Block (B2B) Contactability: Implemented on February 1, 2026. Please familiarize yourself with the contractual language and bulletin bundle. Every Flight Attendant must check B2B at the end of every duty period (not trip) and make positive contact if a message is sent prior to block-in of the last flight of the duty period per §8.Q.2.e. We are actively working with management to post an updated bulletin. 
5. Compensation: Follow up on crew pay issues and reassignment policies. Please give Flight Attendant Crew Pay a minimum of a week to update compensation for irregular operations. 
6. Pairings: Continue to address pairing and scheduling concerns with management.
7. Software: Monitor upcoming software implementations and their impacts on operations. We will have another JCTE update in August 2026. 
8. Sick Leave Tracking: Continue monitoring sick leave trends and review strategies to mitigate operational impacts. 
9. Notifications: Addressing communication issues regarding flight changes and notifications. 
10. AFA Alaska Online Support Center Tickets: Local AFA Representatives do not have access to your schedules, Rainmaker, or pay stubs. When filing a ticket, please screenshot as much information as possible, such as trip details, reports, and Rainmaker buckets, to assist them in their research into your concerns. 

We Want to Hear From You!

Whether you have feedback for the Committee, concerns to share, or items you’d like brought up with management – don’t hesitate to let us know. Your Local Scheduling Committee is here to be your voice to management. You can easily open a support ticket on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or directly contact us using the information provided on the Scheduling Committee page of the AFA Alaska + Hawaiian website.

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

On Tuesday, June 23, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Rebekah Olds (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Kanako Yamado (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—PBS Virginia Fritz, MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative Julie Thornton, and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones were also present.

The Committee met with Managing Director of Inflight Performance & Crew Scheduling Sara Cook, Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling Terrance Chariandy, Manager of Inflight Crew Scheduling Goose Hlaingmyint, Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Manager of Crew Planning Colin Beard, ITS Technical Product Owner Nathan McFerren, and other management representatives from Crew Planning, Crew Scheduling, information technology (ITS), and payroll.

The Committee is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday, July 21.

Topics of Discussion

The Committee reviewed several topics during internal AFA-only conversations and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:

Local Committee Chairperson Reports

• PDX (Portland)
  • Delay Reporting: Flight Attendants requested later reports for delays. Questions arose about cut-off times for delays when Flight Attendants were close to reporting for duty. If a delay is posted for more than an hour, Crew Scheduling will attempt to mitigate the impact of a later report. 
  • Deadhead Seating Issues: Flight Attendants expressed dissatisfaction with deadhead seating on recent flights, questioning automation accuracy and practices. We are researching automation for contractual compliance. 
• SAN (San Diego)
  • Pairing Review: Flight Attendants have questions about legalities and compensation. AFA Grievance Committee Payroll Representative to assist with review of reassignments and stranded pairings. Typically, it takes payroll a week or two to update compensation and pull reports. 
  • Vacation Scheduling: Questions were raised about flying into days off surrounding vacations and compensation. Specifically, how to obtain pay or additional vacation. If you are flown into a vacation day, please contact Flight Attendant Crew Pay. 
• ANC (Anchorage)
  • Flight Delays: Initial flights were delayed, leading to subsequent flight delays. Reassignment protocols were questioned if flight numbers change. Refer to Section 10.R.4 for applicable compensation. 
  • Mid-Flight Reassignments: Crew was reassigned mid-flight from a SEA turn to later flights and wanted more information about the process Crew Scheduling uses to reassign.
  • Van Delay: A delay for van transportation occurred, with pilots notified but Flight Attendants left uninformed. The Committee asked for a review to determine how management can better communicate about delays. 
• LAX (Los Angeles)
  • Extended Layover Issues: JNU unscheduled layover resulted in no hotel accommodation for 18 hours, with Flight Attendants on duty paid hotel rates. Crew Planning management is reviewing the situation with API and ensuring we have exhausted all options, as crews were stranded at the airport. 
  • Pre-Boarding Processes: Pre-boarding is not currently offered based on seniority, with no contractual requirements, and suggestions for improved scheduler processes were made. Crew Scheduling management said they would try to make a best effort to offer in seniority order. If you are the senior Flight Attendant and don’t want the pre-board, you can give it to the next junior Flight Attendant, if applicable. 
  • Notification Timeliness: Delays in notifying crews about trip changes were noted, with notifications sometimes occurring at odd hours. Crew Scheduling does its best not to interrupt crew rest and will attempt to notify affected crews typically after 10 hours of consecutive rest. 
  • Crew Pay Notations: Crew pay issues regarding reassignments versus diversions were resolved after initially being classified incorrectly.
• SFO (San Francisco)
  • Crew Reassignment Confusion: Issues with multiple crew reassignments led to confusion about payment eligibility.
  • Hotel Accommodation Problems: Non-contracted hotel issues reported, with a crew care report filed for follow-up.
  • Trip Structure Changes: Three-day trips are being restructured as two-day trips with premium pay, necessitating a review of efficiency. Crew Scheduling is pulling apart multiday trips around 10 AM based on reserve coverage and availability, so you may see trips that are pulled apart and desirable. 
  • Safety Concerns: Instances of hot airplanes in locations without APUs raised safety questions regarding aircraft readiness for boarding. It is a good idea to file Flight Attendant Incident reports and contact your Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) if there are concerns.
• SEA (Seattle)
  • Monitoring Open Time: Seattle Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson attended the monthly meeting with the ability to track Open Time with Jeppesen and ITS. Most of the open days closed their TSN thresholds within 60 seconds or less
  • Block2Block (B2B) Issues: Ongoing problems with Flight Attendant no-shows. B2B messaging is not considered positive contact. However, all Flight Attendants are required to review their B2B messaging at the end of duty for notifications from Crew Scheduling. 

PBS Subcommittee Update

• July Bidding Overview: High activity noted with efforts to understand and plan for coverage amidst holiday schedules.
• Bid Awards: The bid awards process was smooth, although higher lows were necessary to ensure adequate reserve coverage, with a forecast of 30% coverage awards coming to fruition.
• Bid Protests: Protests were manageable this month, primarily centered around coverage understanding. Technical issues with the inflight website led to workarounds.
• Meetings Conducted: Regular meetings held throughout June, including monthly updates and bid award training.
• Other Updates:
  • Inflight Website Publishing Action Plan: Collaborations with Crew Planning to create a plan for future publishing issues, ensuring access to awards and reports during outages.
  • Software Releases: Ongoing testing of recent updates with positive results expected for a go/no-go decision soon.

Pairing Construction and Crew Planning

• Pairing Selection: Recent pairing selections have been received, with an emphasis on soft locks. The average line value will be 80 TFP.
• ITS Update: NAVBLUE testing is progressing well, with improvements noted in automation updates.
• Crew Planning Analysis: Block hours for August are projected over 350K, reflecting a decrease from July. Reserve ratios are at 22.15%, with no scheduled staffing adjustment leaves (SALs).
• Redeye Flying Trends: Breakdown of redeye flying percentages across various bases, with notable figures for ANC (34%) and SAN (29%).
• IRROPS (Irregular Operations)
  • Updates on duty starts and layover durations for various routes specific to San Diego and Newark departures, with increased crew connections in all domiciles noted.
  • Requirements for specific flight starts and rest periods were discussed, with attention to crew teaming (keeping Flight Attendants on the same pairing) and TSA mitigation (DLG-ANC/AKN/ANC).

Crew Scheduling Insights

• Sick Leave Trends: Sick leave rates reached 13.2%, the highest of the year, with a significant number of daily calls noted.
• Sick Online Issues: Notable sick online issues affecting operations, particularly in commuter cities, warrant tracking and management attention. There were 96 sick online calls in June.
• Reserve Utilization: Reserve utilization is trending upwards due to increased absences, with PDX and SEA reporting higher utilization to cover operational needs.
• Premium Pay Statistics: Premium pay is trending high month-to-date for June. 
• Reassignments and Fatigue Reports: Total reassignments noted at 538, with deadhead conversions at 386. Fatigue incidents reported at 30 for June, with a notable split between reserves and lineholders.
• Crew Scheduler Staffing: Anticipation of a new staffing class in two weeks with a new supervisor, aiming to improve scheduling operations.

What The Committee Is Working On

1. Resolving Pyramiding Pay Disputes: Discussions are ongoing through the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) process to clarify payment rules for over-duty pay and day-off violations. Our Grievance Committee is filing grievances regarding several concerns with pyramid pay. These discussions are still ongoing with Labor Relations management. 
2. Vacation Bidding: Representatives from the Committee met with management to discuss the new vendor, AI Crew Solutions. It was determined that when a Flight Attendant either doesn’t hold a bid or forgets to bid, they will be allowed to bid in the 2nd round of vacation. The current process assigns slot 1 and slot 2. We will provide educational material and information when bidding begins next year on the new platforms. We have additional meetings to discuss implementation and buddy bidding. We are currently testing and reviewing the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) environment. 
3. Flow Charts: These are posted on the AFA website to help guide you through contractual understanding and irregular ops here: 2025-2028 AFA Alaska CBA Reference Documents 01.26.2026
4. Block2Block (B2B) Contactability: Implemented on February 1, 2026. Please familiarize yourself with the contractual language and bulletin bundle. Every Flight Attendant must check B2B at the end of every duty period (not trip) and make positive contact if a message is sent prior to block-in of the last flight of the duty period per §8.Q.2.e.
5. Compensation: Follow up on crew pay issues and reassignment policies. Please give FA Crew pay at minimum a week to update compensation on irregular operations. 
6. Pairings: Continue to address pairing and scheduling concerns with management.
7. Software: Monitor upcoming software implementations and their impacts on operations. We will have another JCTE update in August 2026. 
8. Sick Leave Tracking: Continue monitoring sick leave trends and review strategies to mitigate operational impacts.
9. Notifications: Address communication issues regarding flight changes and notifications.

We Want to Hear From You!

Whether you have feedback for the Committee, concerns to share, or items you’d like brought up with management – don’t hesitate to let us know. Your Local Scheduling Committee is here to be your voice to management. You can easily open a support ticket on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or directly contact us using the information provided on the Scheduling Committee page of the AFA Alaska + Hawaiian website.