Council 47 Officer Update – October 2026

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants

September: Council 47 Officer Update

Aloha LAX and SEA,

As we move into the final months of 2026, we wanted to share several updates on the issues and developments affecting our LAX and SEA Flight Attendants. Over the past month, your Council 47 Officers and Committee Members have continued working with the Company on scheduling issues, contractual clarifications, and member concerns. This update also includes important reminders, committee news, and information to help you navigate some of our current processes.

As always, we appreciate those who have reached out with questions, concerns, and feedback. Your input continues to guide our work and the issues we bring forward on your behalf.

Mahalo,

Josh, Paul and Beth
Council 47 Officers LAX/SEA
Association of Flight Attendants – CWA
47@afahawaiian.org

SEA Pulse Form (anonymous)
LAX Pulse Form (anonymous)
Council 47 SEA Committee Contact Roster

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TL;DR

• Breast Cancer Awareness Pins: Restocked in LAX and SEA lounges. Limited supplies available.
• Turbulence Safety: Your safety comes first. Never feel pressured to continue service when conditions are unsafe.
• On-the-Job Injuries: LAX and SEA have different workers’ compensation procedures. Be sure to report injuries properly and verify your absence is coded OCC.

🌴 LAX 🌴

• Mixed Crew Pairings: Five October pairings included HNL Flight Attendants. AFA addressed concerns with management. Overall LAX flying hours increased approximately 7% from September.
• Staffing Rumors: No staffing changes have been finalized. Discussions remain ongoing.
• Open Time Flexibility Trial: Initial feedback was positive. AFA will review the data and discuss continuing the relaxed requirements.

🏔️ SEA 🏔️

• Bonded Cart Inventories: Submit a B2B whenever catering fails to complete the initial inventory.
• ETCH Trading: ER, Turns, Charters, and Holiday trips must be traded with like groupings, unless trip has been posted and cleared in the ETCH Drop folder.
• Dreamliner Blazers: Beginning November 1, blazers are required in the terminal and during boarding and deplaning, except when the aircraft’s ground cooling system is not functioning.

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Breast Cancer Awareness Pins Restocked! 🎀

Our Breast Cancer Awareness pins have been restocked in both the LAX and SEA lounges! Due to their popularity, our initial supply was quickly depleted. We were able to secure additional pins, but supplies remain limited.

Pins are available at the following locations:

• LAX: Josh’s mailfile in the baggage room.
• SEA: AFA Resource Hub, in the left black drawer near the TV.

Mahalo to everyone who has picked up a pin and helped show support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month! 💗

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Turbulence Safety Reminder

As we approach the winter months, changing weather conditions can bring more frequent and severe turbulence. We want to remind everyone that your safety always comes first.

If the Captain instructs the crew to remain seated, please follow those instructions. Even without an announcement, if you feel turbulence is too severe to safely continue working, use your judgment and take a seat.

No Flight Attendant should feel pressured by fellow crew members to continue service when they feel conditions are unsafe. Please respect each other’s decisions and remember that no service is worth risking an injury.

Stay safe and look out for one another!

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OJI – On the Job Injury Reporting

We have been in discussions with the Company regarding the process for reporting on-the-job injuries (OJI) and navigating workers’ compensation claims, particularly as we now have Flight Attendants based in both Los Angeles and Seattle.

Because the workers’ compensation process differs depending on your domicile, we want to ensure members understand the appropriate steps to take if they are injured while on duty, who to contact, and how their absence should be recorded.

We are continuing to work with the Company to clarify the reporting process, improve communication between departments, and ensure Flight Attendants receive the appropriate support when filing a claim.

LAX Flight Attendants

If you experience an on-the-job injury, please follow these steps:

Report your injury to Nurse Triage/Sedgwick at 866-787-0851 to initiate the workers’ compensation claim process.
Contact Crew Scheduling to report that you are unable to work due to an on-the-job injury. Crew Scheduling will initially place you on sick leave until they receive notification from Inflight to update your status to OCC.
Contact Inflight to report your injury. Inflight is responsible for notifying Crew Scheduling to change your status from Sick to OCC.
For assistance with your workers’ compensation claim, you may contact:

Shantelle Jones
Alaska Airlines Workers’ Compensation Representative (LAX/HNL)
Email: shantelle.jones11@alaskaair.com
Phone: 206-574-4043

SEA Flight Attendants

At this time, Seattle-based Flight Attendants are not covered under the Sedgwick claims process. Until implementation of a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA), Seattle-based Flight Attendants must initiate their workers’ compensation claims through Washington State Labor & Industries (L&I).

If you experience an on-the-job injury, please follow these steps:

1. Initiate your workers’ compensation claim through Washington State L&I. You can contact L&I at 360-902-5800 or visit www.lni.wa.gov for information on filing a claim.
2. Contact Crew Scheduling to report that you are unable to work due to an on-the-job injury. Crew Scheduling will initially place you on sick leave until they receive notification from Inflight to update your status to OCC.
3. Contact Inflight to report your injury. Inflight is responsible for notifying Crew Scheduling to change your status from Sick to OCC.

For assistance with your workers’ compensation claim, you may contact:

Jared Nguyen
Alaska Airlines Workers’ Compensation Representative (SEA)
Email: jared.nguyen4@alaskaair.com

Important Reminders

Please remember that reporting an injury to Crew Scheduling does not replace the requirement to initiate a workers’ compensation claim or notify Inflight.

If your absence is initially coded as Sick, follow up to ensure it is properly updated to OCC once Inflight has notified Crew Scheduling.

We recognize that navigating workers’ compensation can be confusing, especially with different procedures between domiciles. We will continue working with the Company to streamline the process, clarify departmental responsibilities, and address any issues members encounter.

If you experience difficulties with the reporting process or have concerns about how your absence is being recorded, please reach out to your Council 47 representatives so we can assist.

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🌴 Los Angeles 🌴

LAX October Mixed Crew Pairings

Several LAX members have reached out expressing frustration and disappointment over the mixed-crew pairings appearing in October’s schedule. We understand those concerns, particularly given the ongoing discussions surrounding LAX flying opportunities.

This month, five pairings included a mix of LAX and HNL Flight Attendants. This occurred because one of the two duty days exceeded 14 hours, requiring an additional Flight Attendant to meet FAA staffing requirements. Rather than staffing the additional position from LAX for the entire pairing, the Company’s optimizer determined it would be more cost-effective to add an HNL Flight Attendant for the longer duty day.

Some members asked whether AFA was aware of these pairings. Yes, we were briefed by the Company. While we did not identify a concerning pattern with these five occurrences, we made it clear that this is not our preferred staffing arrangement and that we do not want it to become regular practice. The Company acknowledged our concerns and committed to working with us to maintain more consistent crew staffing.

We also want to address concerns that the additional HNL positions took flying away from LAX members. After reviewing the schedules and accounting for the number of Flight Attendants assigned to each pairing, we found that LAX actually had approximately 7% more flying hours available in October than in September. In other words, despite these five mixed-crew pairings, the overall amount of flying available to LAX Flight Attendants slightly increased.

While this increase is encouraging, we understand members’ desire for consistency in how LAX pairings are staffed. Our concerns are not about the Flight Attendants assigned to these pairings, but rather the Company’s approach to staffing and maintaining consistent flying opportunities across our domiciles. Although there is no contractual provision specifically prohibiting this arrangement, we will continue working with the Company and monitoring future bid packets to ensure this does not become a recurring practice.

LAX Staffing Rumor

We have recently become aware of rumors suggesting that the Company is planning to increase Flight Attendant staffing in Los Angeles.

While there have been internal discussions regarding potential staffing changes, no decisions have been finalized, nor is the Company close to making any staffing decisions at this time.

We recognize the importance of maintaining adequate staffing in LAX and ensuring sufficient flying opportunities for our members. We continue to engage with management on these matters and advocate for the long-term stability and future of our domicile.

As these discussions continue, we will keep you informed of any meaningful developments.

Relaxed Open Time Trial

As shared in last month’s Officer Update, Crew Scheduling agreed to relax reserve coverage requirements for Open Time trades and drops during the first two weeks of October on a trial basis. The goal was to provide LAX Flight Attendants with greater flexibility when trading or dropping trips.

In preliminary discussions with management, they indicated that the trial was successful, with no negative trends identified. Management also shared that the relaxed requirements allowed at least one trip per day to be available for a drop or trade through Open Time, with additional opportunities available on several days.

While this initial feedback is encouraging, we plan to meet with Crew Scheduling to review the actual data, evaluate the trial’s effectiveness, and discuss whether these adjustments can continue moving forward.

We will provide additional updates as those discussions progress.

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🏔️ Seattle 🏔️

Bonded Cart Inventory Concerns

Council 47 leadership recently raised concerns with our Service Committee regarding catering kitchens not completing the initial bonded cart inventory forms. Our Service Committee has addressed this issue numerous times with the Company, which has committed to providing better education to catering personnel regarding their responsibilities.

Unfortunately, this continues to be an issue. We ask Flight Attendants to submit a B2B report on every flight where catering has not completed the initial inventory. Consistent reporting will help the Company track these occurrences, identify problem areas, and address the issue directly with the kitchens.

We understand the frustration of Flight Attendants being expected to complete their portion of the process when catering has not done the same. Your reports will help our Service Committee continue advocating for accountability and consistency throughout the process.

Clarification on ETCH Trading

We wanted to provide some clarification regarding ETCH trading, as there has been some confusion about which trips can be traded with Open Time or another Flight Attendant.

ETCH stands for Extended Range (ER), Turns, Charters, and Holiday. Under our Contract, trips in these categories must be traded with like groupings.

For example, a Turn is not automatically considered an ER trip. If you are trading an ER trip, the trip you are trading for must also be classified as ER. The same applies to Turns, Charters, and trips eligible for Holiday pay.

Simply put, ETCH trades must be like-for-like, based on the trip’s contractual classification, not just its length or whether it operates as a single-day trip.

Contractual Reference: Section 12.A

“However, groupings that are Extended Range (ER), Turns, Charters, or eligible for Holiday pay may only be traded with like groupings (e.g. ER with ER), unless the grouping has been posted for a drop in accordance with Section 12.O.”

The exception is when a grouping has been posted for a drop in accordance with Section 12.O.

We hope this helps clarify the trading requirements and avoid confusion when reviewing Open Time opportunities.

Dreamliner Uniform Blazer Requirement Effective November 1

Please be reminded that beginning November 1, 2026, Flight Attendants operating Boeing 787-9 routes in the Dreamliner uniform will be required to wear their blazers while in the terminal and during boarding and deplaning.

Under Section 6.V.1. of our Contract, Flight Attendants are not required to wear their jackets from April 15 through October 31, or anytime the aircraft’s ground cooling system is not working.

As we enter November, the seasonal jacket exemption ends. However, the contractual exception remains in effect whenever the ground cooling system is not functioning.

Please ensure you have your blazer available when reporting for duty and familiarize yourself with these contractual provisions.

For clarification, the jacket requirement specifically refers to the uniform blazer, not the sweater or any other outer garment.

Contract Reference: Section 6.V, Jacket Requirement