Hotel Committee

Be On Guard: Hotel Scams on the Rise

February 1, 2016 10:46

A new scam where con artists try to get credit card numbers out of hotel guests is on the rise. Always be alert on your layovers and never give your credit card number out to anyone who calls your room. If hotel staff need to get payment information for your incidental charges, they will always ask you to come down to the front desk and will never ask for your credit card number over the phone. Alternately, you can hang up and then call back down to the front desk so that you know exactly who you’re talking to.

A recent NBC news story provides some more background on the scam. You can read the story here: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43662080/ns/business-consumer_news/t/summer-travel-alert-scammers-target-hotel-guests

On The Watch Against Bed Bugs

June 26, 2015 20:00

Along with the warm weather throughout our route network comes an increase in bugs that we see at our layover hotels. One very particular type of bug that we should all be very concerned about is the bed bug.

No matter whether you’re on a layover, overnighting for training, or on a personal vacation, it’s always a best practice to inspect your room for signs of bed bugs as soon as you get to your room. Despite their name, bed bugs do not live in bed—they only eat there. During the day they hide in cracks and crevices (the size of a credit card or less) of furniture. Adult bugs are about the size of an apple seed and are visible to the naked eye.

First Things First–Check Your Room

Pull back a sheet corner on the bed and check for signs of bugs. Look for brown/black dot stains on the mattress and possibly molted bed bug skins
Check the areas where the mattress rests on the box spring, inside any folds or under buttons or piping
Take a close look at the headboard, picture frames and nightstands for any sign of hiding bugs
Check in books or hotel literature around the bed. Bed bugs have been found on index tabs in the in-room bible.
Bed bugs can also be detected by their characteristic smell of rotting raspberries

Help, I Found Bed Bugs In My Room!

If you find bed bugs upon check in or at any time during your stay, notify the front desk staff immediately and move to another room. Report the incident on a Flight Attendant Incident Report and fill out a report on CrewCare (http://www.alaskaaircrew.com). CrewCare reports are forwarded to management and your AFA Hotel Committee Members.

More About Bed Bugs

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has some great resources and information about bed bugs available at http://www2.epa.gov/bedbugs.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt, MEC Hotel Committee Chairperson Laura Hinojosa and MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Chairperson Seth Heiple

AFA Alaska

ORD Hotel News

June 15, 2015 14:43

Restaurant Discount

The ORD hotel is no longer offering crews the 50% discount off food. This was a promotion that was being offered by the hotel. The discount will revert to the contractual 20% discount with crew ID.

Airport Construction

Construction will be going on at ORD to the upper ramp. During the construction, all pick-up and drop off will be at the lower ramp, where all of the hotel shuttles pick up.

Questions?

Please contact your Local Hotel Committee

Management Rejects AFA Recommendation for IAD Hotel

February 27, 2015 20:00

Many of us are excited to soon resume service to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), but for the crew who are laying over there, their stay in suburban Virginia may not be so exciting. Despite an official recommendation by the AFA Hotel Committee for another property, management has selected an inferior hotel for crew accommodations.

How Hotel Selection Works

When a layover hotel in a new city needs to be selected or a hotel contract is up for renewal in an existing city, members of management and the AFA Hotel Committee visit the prospective hotels. Each hotel is evaluated for safety, cleanliness, quality, and to ensure it will meet the needs of our Flight Attendants. The Hotel Committee issues their official recommendation to management, who makes the final decision.

Management Isn’t Listening

The message that has been sent to our Flight Attendants is clear: sorry, you’re just not worth it.

Despite an official recommendation from the Hotel Committee and the urging of the MEC, management has decided to ignore the AFA recommendation for the IAD layover hotel. Under the new contract, when management selects a hotel that the Hotel Committee disagrees with, the MEC can request a written explanation from the division leader detailing the reason why the hotel was chosen (§34.A.1.c)

In an email from the MEC, Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider was asked to provide her detailed explanation in accordance with the contractual language. The response, provided by Director of Crew Strategy & Administration Chad Koehnke, cited cost savings, payment discounts, and contractual terms that favored the company as the reasons for choosing the selected hotel over the preferred hotel recommended by AFA. The message that has been sent to our Flight Attendants is clear: sorry, you’re just not worth it.

Have Hotel Problems? Write It Up!

If you happen to be flying an IAD trip and have feedback to provide about the new layover hotel (or any layover hotel in any city), be sure to share it by writing a feedback report in CrewCare. Reports submitted through CrewCare are automatically routed to the ALPA and AFA Hotel Committees as well as management—they will hear what you have to say. You can access CrewCare by following the link on the main page of the Flight Attendant website or by visiting http://www.alaskaaircrew.com.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

Note: To protect crewmember privacy, hotel names are not mentioned in this post as this article is posted on the AFA Alaska website. Information about crew hotels is available in the FA Crew Hotel Info conference in FirstClass.

Hurricanes Iselle and Julio and Hawaiian Island Flying

August 7, 2014 13:59

As you may be aware, Hurricanes Iselle and Julio are rapidly approaching the Hawaiian Islands. According to the National Weather Service, hurricane conditions are expected to develop on the Big Island by this afternoon. As the path continues moving up the Hawaiian island chain, the storm is expected to lose some strength with tropical storm conditions spreading to Maui tonight and Oahu and Kauai on Friday. You can read the current statement from the National Weather Service at http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/HLS.php.

Inflight management has repeatedly assured us that there is no danger to our crew members flying to the Hawaiian islands or laying over there at this time. Regardless of these assurances, your MEC and LEC Officers are continuing to closely monitor the situation. Purely as a precaution, we are offering a list of tips to help crew members in the affected area be prepared should conditions deteriorate. You can view these tips at http://afaalaska.org/hotel/safety/hurricane.

As always, your LEC Officers and EAP representatives are standing by and available to assist you. You can find LEC Officer contact information at afaalaska.org under “Local Councils”. EAP contact information is at afaalaska.org/eap.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

Be On Guard: Hotel Scams on the Rise