As part of the merger between Alaska Airlines and Virgin America, Flight Attendants from both pre-merger airlines will need to be trained to work on the aircraft of the other pre-merger airline in order for crews to be able to fully integrate.
Transition training will take place regardless of whether or not the pending joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) is ratified. All Flight Attendants, both pre-merger Alaska and pre-merger Virgin America, will be qualified to work both Boeing and Airbus aircraft by the end of 2018. If the JCBA is ratified, all Flight Attendants will be able to fly on both aircraft types once full integration takes place (currently scheduled for the March 2019 bid period). If the JCBA is not ratified, pre-merger AS and VX Flight Attendants will continue to re-certify on both aircraft types during recurrent training each year starting in 2019, but will not be able to serve as a working crew member on the other pre-merger fleet of aircraft until a JCBA is ratified.
Airbus Transition Training
For Pre-Merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants
Airbus transition training will take place between July and November 2018. Pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants will attend two, 8-hour days of transition training in either ANC, SEA, PDX, or LAX. SAN F/As may bid into any location that has scheduled training sessions. Similar to recurrent training, there will also be a 4-hour computer based training (CBT) that needs to be completed before attending class.
AFA and management have signed a letter of agreement pertaining to Airbus transition training, which you can view by clicking here.
Bidding
Pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants will bid for transition training between April 21 and May 4; awards will be posted by May 10. All available training dates will be available for bid during this process. Bids will be awarded in seniority order. If you do not submit a transition training bid, you will be assigned a training date by management.
Boeing Transition Training
For Pre-Merger Virgin America Flight Attendants
Boeing transition training will take place between July and October 2018. Pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants will attend two, 8-hour days of transition training in either SFO or LAX. Similar to recurrent training, there will also be a 4-hour computer based training (CBT) that needs to be completed before attending class.
Bidding
Pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants will bid for transition training one month at a time. Bids will be awarded in seniority order; if not enough Flight Attendants bid for the available training dates in a given month, FLICA will assign the dates in inverse seniority order until all classes for the month are full.
Management will be communicating specifics on when bidding will occur and when awards will be posted for each month.
Questions?
Management will be putting out more information about transition training within the next several weeks. If you have additional questions, please contact your Local Council Officers.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee
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Tracey Withrow says
I am ANC based, but live 3 hours away in Soldotna. Will I be eligible for a hotel room in ANC during transition training?
Brian Palmer (MEC Vice President) says
AFA pushed hard to attempt to get management to agree to provide hotels for those attending training in their base, but management would not agree. Because the training is being conducted in domicile, there is no contractual provision that requires management to provide a hotel.