AFA has become aware that the combi that was being used as a freighter these past few weeks is actually contracted by Fed Ex.  We reached out to management with our findings and have been working with them to get all of this figured out.  Here is what we know at this time:

• Fed Ex has contracted Alaska Airlines to provide freight service for a period of time (not yet confirmed by management).
• This flying appears to be operating 6 days/week (everyday except Saturday).
• This flying was originally being placed into OT and picked up, but management has agreed this is a Charter and will be placing it out to be bid in First Class.  These trips is still visible in OT, but can’t be picked up any longer as they now have a charter designation.
• For those FAs who do not have access to First Class, CS will accept an email sent to FA.Charter.Bids@firstclass.alaskaair.com.  Look for a communication from CS with the information/format that should be included in the email when bidding for the Charter.
• Those who have previously flown this pairing will be paid charter pay for the trip(s) they flew.
• For the remainder of March, CS will place the pairing into First Class to be bid a week at a time as this is when the information feeds into their system.
• For the month of April AFA has requested all the flying be built and placed into First Class for the entire month to be bid and awarded accordingly as it is being indicated this pairing can’t be put into Navtech for April bids.
• Tracey and her team continue to work to help us find out information about this flying and will be putting out some instructions relating to checking-in and parking for this Charter.

We know this situation is less than ideal, and we will continue to research and ask for clarification, information and details on this flying.  We will also continue to request this flying be built and placed into the bid packet as outlined contractually.

In Solidarity,

Your LEC Officers

Welcome to the March edition of your Local Council 30 Newsletter, Arctic Ascent!

This monthly newsletter has important dates, ANC FAQs, Inflight Service changes, Reserve and Scheduling tips, and other information we hope will help you on line.

Dates:

FAQs:

Sida Badge Clarification:

• You must clear TSA screening when you are deadheading.
• You must clear TSA screening when you are non-reving, jumpseating, meeting a flight, or shopping/eating in the airport.
• You may only access the secure area with your SIDA badge when you are working crew (not DHD).

Text Notifications:

• Council 30 now has Text Notifications! This bulletin explains how to sign up.

Charter – Combi as Freighter

•  CS would prefer you bid for the Charter in First Class. If you can’t use First Class, send an email as discussed in info bulletin 2017-0039.

Inflight Service:

Straws added to First Class. Use straws if possible; they are cheaper than pokies!

Extra chocolates added to EWR, ORD, and DCA flights.

Icy Bay IPA replaced Fremont IPA this month.

Crew price for Pringles and M&Ms now added to BOB app.

Ramekins for salad dressing  added to Hawaii and TransCon flights.

First class meal ratios changed to 70% meat, 30% vegetarian.

Send catering feedback to Catering.Feedback@alaskaair.com, CC Betsy Demay.

Reserve:

The Reserve Self-Assignment timeline in ANC has been fixed. Reserve Self-Assignment is now contractual, 10:00am-2:00pm PT or 9:00am-1:00pm AKST the day prior to an assignment.

• A patch for Crew Access fixed Self-Assign for APSB; you no longer call CS.
• Self-Assigned APSB do not count toward maximum four from CBA § 11.F.14.
• You are still contactable during normal hours after Self-Assigning a trip.
• Your Self-Assigned trip may only be changed for operational necessity.
  • Please notify Matt Cook if your trip is changed so he may monitor.

The tentative timeline for posting/trading/splitting reserve on Crew Access is April.

Don’t forget: check your Alaska email at the end of every trip for further assignments!

If you have any Reserve questions or concerns, please email Matt Cook.

Scheduling:

Because of pairing number issues, April bids are extended to March 11th at 9:00 PT.

Due to changes in active FAs for April, the posted line average is 78.0, not 76.5.

CS turned off updates to phone calendars because of the multitude of discrepancies.

• The calendar will not update until IT has resolved various issues.
• In the meantime, view your schedule on Crew Access>Roster or Calendar.

Print and view your trip easily by clicking the Trip Number hyperlink in your Roster.

The new bidding system is anticipated to begin use in July for August bids.

• There will be a three month overlap/parallel bid with both systems.
• More details will be sent as we get closer to the launch.

We return to our contractual Trading Timeline this month:

There was an issue with the pairing numbers in Navtech PBS that impacted some of the bases and required a fix.  It is our understanding this did not impact the ANC pairings.  That being said, it is still a good idea to double check your bids if you entered any pairing numbers in you bid for April.  As a result of this issue, the bidding window will now be extended and will close on March 11th at 0900 PT.

In Solidarity,

Your Local Council 30 Officers and Scheduling Committee

Given the complications inherent in communication with our mobile workgroup, we have a new way to help stay in touch and keep you informed. You may now subscribe for optional text message alerts from your local LEC Officers and Chairpersons. This is a great way for us to send important information to you quickly, without the hassle of social media or email.

We will not overwhelm you with texts, and again, it’s completely optional. All the information we share through text will still be available on AFAAlaska.org, the Anchorage Council 30 Facebook page, and in our regular emails.

The enrollment process is easy; just send a text message from your personal phone:

• Open your text messaging application
• In the “send to” field enter 81010
• In the body of the text enter @ANC30
• Press send

You will receive a reply asking you to enter your full name. Once you send your name, you will receive a text from a number for Lisa Pinkston and a number for Justin Wetherell. You may save both numbers in your phone. Most text notifications will come from your Communications Chairperson – Media, Justin Wetherell.

We are borrowing this free technology from school districts, so please ignore the question asking if you are student, parent, or teacher. Also, disregard the link to download the Remind app on your phone. You do not need the app to receive texts.

We hope you like our new service. Send feedback and questions to Justin Wetherell. Please help us spread the word and get your fellow crew signed up!

In Solidarity,

Your Council 30 LEC Officers and Communications Chairperson – Media

Our local Council 30 Scheduling Chairperson, Justin Wetherell, attended the monthly Scheduling Committee Meeting in Seattle and compiled these notes for our base. Please direct any questions or feedback to anc.scheduling@afaalaska.org.

AFA:

NavTech PBS:

The plan for the new bidding system is to start in July for the month of August bid.

• The system needs to change because NavTech will stop supporting the old system (it will shut down). The transition to the new system should be smoother as it is already used by Delta pilots, so it is not a prototype.

Flight Attendants will be able to “parallel bid” using both systems for three months.
Base Sits will be scheduled so you may come in for tutoring and assistance.
The difference in bidding systems is less drastic than that from eMaestro to JCA.
AFA began preliminary testing and asked to test bid prior to July.

Pairings:

You may have noticed a lot of changes to “premium flying” (i.e. 4K, high time turns) in the last bid. This is due to network/schedule changes and all bases were affected.
The Pairings team is working to keep the 1 and 3 pos crews together more often.
4 pos pairings after the 400s retired were considered; this is on hold with the merger.

Scheduling:

The MEC appointed a new MEC Scheduling Chairperson, Zac Weeks. His term is through Dec 17, 2019.
If you receive incorrect or contradictory information from Crew Scheduling, please send an email with as much information as possible so we may follow up.
Programming an easy print of pairings directly from your roster is almost completed.
The Scheduling Chairpersons were all trained on a new system AFA will use to submit and track scheduling issues. This system will help track data, trend issues, and ensure you receive timely responses.

Management:

Pay:

Please email any questions you have regarding pay during the JCA changeover
Quarterly Productivity Premium.

• At this time, the only way to check is by adding the TFP from your trips.
• The calculator is being updated so “estimated” for the month will be real time.
• AFA requested three numbers: Awarded, Projected, and Current (real time).

AFA requested the original Pairing Number remain with sipped/adjusted trips so TFP and pay can be compared.

Scheduling:

Contractual fixes in JCA have priority, but AFA has a list of all requested fixes.
Find recent JCA fixes and FAQs at Scheduling & Bidding>Crew Access Help.
Cross training for Airbus is planned to start January 2018; no specifics at this time.
Van changes will be notified when: TransCon/Hawaii 60+ min, other 30+ min.
The last few forms from First Class are being updated for the FA Website.
Attendance Scorecard is being developed for the FA Website.
AFA requested an update on Out of Domicile Jetway Trades.
AFA requested an update to the Ground Delay form.
AFA requested an update for Flight Loads on the FA Website.

Hotel:

JCA should be updated with the correct hotel info, but no van times.
An update in June will notify API when hotel or transportation changes are needed.
In the meantime, AFA requested the Hotel Lookup be returned to the FA Website.
A link from the Roster with a hotel/van page similar to eMastro is being developed.
For any hotel-related issues, contact Council 30 Hotel Chairperson Dori Marron.

Thank you for continuing to send all scheduling and JCA issues/feedback to anc.scheduling@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Justin Wetherell, Council 30 Scheduling Chairperson