July was a remarkable month for our Membership Engagement Committee. We set out with a clear purpose: to bring our Flight Attendant community closer together, share valuable resources, and build authentic connections throughout our system.

Over the past four weeks, we explored what it means to be engaged in our AFA family. We kicked things off with the campaign launch and a look back at our Committee’s history, then offered behind-the-scenes insights from our MEC Town Halls. We interviewed our MEC Committee Chairperson to deepen our understanding of the Committee’s mission. We spotlighted how your feedback shapes our work, pointed you to resources like the AFA Membership Hub, and showed how to get the most out of the AFA Online Learning Academy. We wrapped up by outlining practical ways you can take that next step and become an AFA volunteer.

Key Takeaways from Our Focus Month

• Engagement is Peer-to-Peer: Our Committee Members are fellow Flight Attendants here to support you. Together, we’re committed to creating a strong, Member-driven community where we lift each other up and grow together.
• Your Voice Drives Our Union: Your input shapes our direction. Whether you participate in Town Halls or connect with us directly, your perspectives are the driving force behind meaningful change.
• Keep The Momentum Going: The campaign ends, but the work doesn’t. Whether you visit afaalaska.org to stay up to date on the latest news or get involved with volunteer opportunities, there are countless ways to stay engaged and help shape our Union’s future.

Watch: A Special Closing Message

To celebrate the conclusion of our Membership Engagement Committee Focus Month, we’ve created a special video featuring MEC Membership Engagement Committee Chairperson Mischelle Fielsch and our Local Membership Engagement Committee Chairpersons. We invite you to take a few moments to watch and hear firsthand how the connections we’re building are shaping the future of our Flight Attendant community.

Thank you to everyone who watched our videos, checked out our posts, engaged on social media, and shared your feedback. Your participation is what makes our Union strong.

If you missed any content or want to revisit a resource, please visit the Membership Engagement Committee page of the AFA Alaska + Hawaiian website, check out our AFA Alaska + Hawaiian social media channels, or reach out to your Local Membership Engagement Committee. Let’s keep this momentum going!

As part of Membership Engagement Committee Focus Month, we’re excited to spotlight one of our core missions: empowering you with knowledge and confidence to participate more fully in our Union. When we understand how our Union works, we strengthen our collective voice and create a more engaged community.

To help you on this journey, we’re excited to introduce a powerful resource: the AFA Online Learning Academy at afalearning.org. This platform is built to open doors for every Member by offering accessible education that lets you get involved on your own terms—wherever you are, whenever you’re ready.

What’s Available On The Academy

The AFA Online Learning Academy features a diverse course catalog where you can choose the topics that interest you most. You can explore subjects such as:

• Union structure and history
• Committee work and leadership
• Labor history
• Communications, safety, and much more

Real empowerment comes from making education truly accessible to everyone. The academy lays a strong foundation for you to build your knowledge and become a more active, confident participant in our Union. Some of the key benefits include:

• No Experience Needed: Whether you’re curious about how our Union works or considering getting involved, this is the perfect place to start. You don’t need to be a committee volunteer or AFA officer—everyone is welcome.
• Zero-Pressure Learning: Every course is self-paced, so you can learn at your own speed—no deadlines, no pressure.
• Fits Your Schedule: Life on the line is unpredictable. Whether you have 15 minutes between flights or a little extra time at home, you can log in and learn whenever it’s convenient for you.

How To Access The Site

Getting started is simple and takes just a few clicks:

1. Head over to afalearning.org.
2. Create your account if you are a first-time user.
3. Start exploring the course catalog and dive into the topics that interest you.

Watch Now: Discover The AFA Online Learning Academy

Curious to see the academy in action? Watch this short video with Nona Diaz and Meredith Havens, your Membership Engagement Chairpersons for Council 30 in Anchorage. They’ll walk you through how they found this resource, how easy it is to use, and why it’s such a valuable tool for all our Members. Take a few minutes, watch the video, and see what’s possible!

As Flight Attendants, we all experience moments where we need AFA support but might not be entirely sure where to look. Instead of digging through old emails or panic-posting on Facebook, we want to make sure you know exactly how to access our Union resources.

Here’s everything you need to know to navigate our AFA resources with confidence:

• Find Your Local Reps in Under 30 Seconds: It only takes a moment to connect with the right person. Go to afaalaska.org and click on “Local Councils.” There, you’ll see the Officers and Committees dedicated to your Local Council—fellow Flight Attendants who truly understand your base, concerns, and needs.
• Rely on Our Specialized Committees: Each Committee is dedicated to a specific area—such as scheduling, inflight service, or membership engagement. If you have a question or sense something is off, start here. It’s never an inconvenience; our dedicated volunteers are here to support you, so you never have to tackle complex issues alone.
• What to Do When Things Go Sideways: When challenges arise, you have several ways to get the support you need. Submitting reports not only helps resolve your issue but also empowers our Officers to spot trends and advocate for you and our fellow Flight Attendants even more effectively.
  • Pre-Merger Alaska Flight Attendants: Reach out directly to an LEC Officer or open a support ticket through the AFA Alaska Online Support Center. When submitting a ticket, always use your personal email—not your company address—for privacy and security.
  • Pre-Merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants: Contact your LEC Officers directly to report issues and receive support specific to your needs.
• Why Contacting Us Matters: Our Union is strongest when everyone knows how to use its resources. If you ever have a question or feel uncertain, reach out—we’re here to help.

Watch the Video

Want to see these tips in action? Watch the video below, where SFO-based Flight Attendant and Local Membership Engagement Committee Chairperson Dani Kellogg walks you through the website step by step.

Since launching our MEC Town Halls in March, we’ve focused on making these sessions a clear and effective way to connect with everyone. In June, we adjusted our approach to a more dynamic, interview-based, and conversational format to make these sessions even more engaging. But what does it take to move from an initial concept to a live broadcast?

We thought it would be fun to take you behind the lens. We’ve been capturing snippets of the production setup to highlight the extensive preparation that happens long before we go live.

The Planning & Preparation Process: A Multi-Month Journey

While you see the final product on your screens, each Town Hall is the result of intensive coordination that begins months in advance. Our production doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a layered process of refinement and practice. Here is a look at what goes into bringing these sessions to you:

• Months of Coordination and Planning: We start months out by listening. We identify key issues—like JCBA negotiations, seniority integration, and domicile-specific changes—that are top-of-mind for you. We work closely with our MEC Officers (Tim Green, Brice McGee, and Paul Ikioka) and MEC Membership Engagement Committee Chairperson Mischelle Fielsch to prioritize your questions and gather the data and visual materials needed to support the conversation.
• Shared Table Reads: Once topics are chosen, we hold several “table reads”—focused sessions where we shape the flow of discussion. We make sure our updates on JCBA negotiations and other AFA news are presented clearly, accurately, and in ways that speak directly to our daily lives as Flight Attendants.
• Technical Run-Throughs: We dedicate hours to testing our setup and calibrating our audio and video feeds. This attention to detail ensures a reliable, high-quality viewing experience for everyone tuning in.
• Final Dress Rehearsals: Before we go live, we conduct full dress rehearsals. These sessions are a complete “dry run” of the show, where we test every detail—from camera angles and microphones to visual aids and graphics—so everything runs smoothly from start to finish.

Designed for You

These Town Halls are made for you. From the first planning meeting to the final microphone check, every decision is made with your engagement in mind, and we’re constantly refining our approach based on your feedback. We want you to feel connected, and more importantly, we want you to feel heard.

Save The Date

Plan now to join us for our next MEC Town Hall on Wednesday, September 23, at 11 AM PT.

If you have a question for our MEC Officers, you can submit it now or at any time using this form. We prioritize questions submitted in advance to ensure we focus on what matters most to you.

Building on the momentum of our Membership Engagement Committee introduction video and this week’s look at the committee’s history, we’re excited to introduce the next feature of our July Committee Focus Month. Today, we’re launching an in-depth interview that offers an inside look at the mission and people powering the Membership Engagement Committee.

What You’ll Discover in This Interview

MEC Communications Committee Chairperson Brian Palmer recently sat down with MEC Membership Engagement Committee Chairperson Mischelle Fielsch for a conversation that goes beyond the basics and explores the “why” behind the committee’s mission and work. In this session, Mischelle shares:

• The Personal Spark: Her motivation to ensure that every Member—from new hires to our most senior Flight Attendants—feels supported and never “flying solo.”
• The Strategic Bridge: How the committee serves as a two-way street—amplifying important news from MEC Communications and ensuring your direct feedback reaches our AFA Officers to guide Union decisions.
• A Roadmap for the Future: How we’re building our Union’s future by empowering every Member to recognize their voice and discover the tools to use it.

Watch Now

We invite you to take a few minutes to watch this interview. Whether you’re looking to better understand AFA resources or want to see how your input influences decisions, this video gives you insight into how things work behind the scenes.

Take the Next Step

Engagement is the heartbeat of our solidarity. If you’re interested in getting involved after watching, visit afaalaska.org/volunteer to learn more.

Stay tuned next week as we continue our focus month with a behind-the-scenes look at our recent MEC Town Halls and more about how the Committee works to build and strengthen connections among our group.