Q: Page 3 of the Summary of the VX Transition Agreement states “All 480 provisions will NOT affect L-VX FAs until the calendar year 2021. The qualification year will be 2020.” On page 2 under “Ability to Trade Trips Below 70 hours” it states “at full integration (targeted for March 2019) VX FAs may trade down to -0-.” So are the L-VX FAs held to the same 480 rules that L-AS FAs are for the year 2019 and 2020?
A: The 480 provisions will not affect L-VX Flight Attendants until the calendar year 2021 (with flying in 2020 for qualification). L-VX Flight Attendants will not be flying and working under the JCBA until Full Integration (targeted for March 2019), so L-VX FAs will not have a full calendar year under the JCBA provisions until 2020. Keep in mind that until DOR (April 3, 2018), L-VX Flight Attendants are working under current L-VX work rules, which specify that they cannot drop below 70 block hours per month. After DOR and until Full Integration, L-VX FAs can trade down to 50–but only to another Flight Attendant. That means all L-VX FAs are subject a 70 block hour monthly minimum (50 block hour monthly minimum if traded to another FA after DOR), so all L-VX Flight Attendants will fly well over 480 for 2018 and a long ways toward the 480 up to Full Integration in 2019. Once again, L-VX FAs will be subject to the 480 provisions the very first year after they have a full calendar year of activity as an Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant (i.e. accruing 480 qualifications in 2020 for application in 2021).