AFA Alaska

Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

Click here to report an issue to AFA
Menu
  • Local Councils
    • Anchorage (Council 30)
      • Officers
      • Committees
    • Honolulu (Council 43)
    • Los Angeles (Council 18/pmAS)
      • Officers
      • Committees
      • Los Angeles (Council 47/pmHA)
        • Officers
      • Portland (Council 39)
        • Officers
        • Committees
      • San Diego (Council 15)
        • Officers
        • Committees
        • Seattle (Council 19)
          • Officers
          • Committees
        • San Francisco (Council 35)
          • Officers
          • Committees

        • More About Local Councils >>
        Close
      • Master Executive Council
        • Officers
        • Close
      • Committees
          • Air Safety, Health, & Security (ASHSC)
            • Air Quality
          • Benefits
          • Communications
          • Employee Assistance Program & Professional Standards
          • Government Affairs
          • Grievance
          • Hotel
          • Human Rights & Equity
          • Inflight Service
          • Inflight Training
          • Membership
          • Membership Engagement
          • Reserve
          • Retirement
          • Scheduling
            • Pairing Construction
            • Preferential Bidding System (PBS)
          • Uniform

        • More About Committees >>
        Close
      • Contract
          • Contract Home
            • 2025 Alaska TA2 (Ratified)
            • 2018 Alaska JCBA
            • 2020 Hawaiian Contract
            • Ask Contract Questions
          • Contract Resources
          • Alaska Contract Negotiations (2022-2025)
        • Close
      • Resources
          • What To Do If You Encounter Contaminated Cabin Air
          • Issues & Campaigns
          • Newsroom
            • AFA News Now
          • Event Calendar
          • Membership Services
          • New Members
          • About
          • Links
          Close
        • Merger
          • Joint Negotiating Committee
          • Close
        • Contact Us
        You are here: Home / Archives for Committees

        Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2024

        June 28, 2024 09:00

        Reserve Committee

        • Our AFA Reserve Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, June 13, to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent and advocate for our Reserve Flight Attendants.
        • The Committee also met with management to review specific concerns that Flight Attendants brought forward.
        • Your Local Reserve Committee is available to answer questions, clarify contractual language, or help resolve reserve-related issues. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

        On Thursday, June 13, representatives from our AFA Local Reserve Committees met to discuss their ongoing work to advocate for Reserve Flight Attendants. Representing you at the meeting were Brandi Urban (ANC), Conner Gallagher (SEA), Anthony Eskander (PDX), Meghan Casey (SFO), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Rebecca Garcia (SAN). Also present was MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson Julie Thornton and MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation Jarod McNeill. 

        The committee met with the Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling Sara Cook and Crew Pay Process Manager Michelle Carcalean.

        The committee is next scheduled to meet on Thursday, September 12.

        Topics of Discussion

        The committee reviewed a number of items both during internal AFA-only conversation and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:

        • Issues & glitches with Crew Access that are affecting Reserve Flight Attendants.  Review of where known issues are documented and newly added/ fixed issues. 
        • Review of upcoming update to Crew Access software and associated fixes to current issues and other improvements prioritization for programming fixes.
        • Management staffing within Crew Scheduling.  Sara Cook hired two testers for CrewAccess that are dedicated to help Crew Scheduling test new updates prior to implementation and when a new issue is found attempting to figure out why and how to fix it. 
        • Review of reserve-related issues that have been escalated to the Scheduling Review Board (SRB) and Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes.
        • Review of reserve utilization statistics for the quarter, it is approximately 92.8% in all bases.  
        • Increase usage of LIMO in California bases and why
        • Ongoing concern with ISA coded trips and increase in no shows.  Please report these issues through the AFA Alaska Online Support Center so that AFA representatives can follow up with management. 

        What The Committee Is Working On

        1. Assisting Probationary Flight Attendants Through the Reserve Buddy Program.   Answering questions from and providing support to probationary Flight Attendants through an expanded AFA Reserve Buddy program.
        2. Addressing Reserve Contractual Concerns. Researching and investigating reports from Reserve Flight Attendants and actively ensuring that management is compliant with our contract. 
        3. Developing Additional Tools & Resources for New Flight Attendants. Working to create a plan to provide more user friendly, easy-to-access resources about the CBA and other job-related information for new Flight Attendants.

        We Want to Hear From You!

        Do you have feedback for the committee, concerns you’d like to share, or items you’d like brought up with management? Please let us know! Your Local Reserve Committee is your voice to management. You can open a support request on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or contact us directly using the information on the Reserve Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Reserve Committee Tagged With: committee meeting

        Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – June 2024

        June 27, 2024 09:00

        Scheduling Committee

        • On June 25, our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work representing Flight Attendants’ interests in lineholder scheduling.
        • The Committee met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems Flight Attendants face with scheduling, pairings, and bidding.
        • Your Local Scheduling Committee is available to assist with any lineholder scheduling-related issues. Don’t hesitate to reach out for help!

        On Tuesday, June 25, our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons/Representatives met to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO),Rita Tillou (SEA), Russel Rivinius (PDX), Kamako Yamado (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). Also present were MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, and MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—PBS Virginia Fritz. 

        The committee met with Managing Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Managing Director of Inflight Operations & Crew Scheduling Allen Thieman, Director of Crew Staffing Nicholas Giles, Manager of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Senior Manager of Product Management Rick Mitchell, Director of Crew Scheduling Sara Cook, Manager of Crew Pay Debbie Bakke, and other management representatives from Crew Planning and Crew Scheduling.

        The Committee is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.

        Topics of Discussion

        The committee reviewed several topics during internal AFA-only conversations and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:

        • In Portland, there is concern over the HNL layover construction for June extended to 3 days instead of 2. Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson plans reviewing July/August pairing construction to see if trips changed.
        • It was reported that there are Reserve issues with iPhones and privacy settings, specifically AT&T. Collaboration with MEC Reserve Committee and MEC Grievance Committee. As a line holder if you are experiencing issues, please open an AFA Online Support Center ticket.
        • Many of the bases said they don’t want to fly from domicile to Seattle and then work a Redeye flight. During pairing construction, AFA will review flights for duty start in Seattle to avoid other domiciles having to connect and fly these types of pairings.  The duty start would allow the redeye pairing to originate from the domicile it departs.  This could potentially impact the cost of the pairing solution. 
        • Potential missed calls for those with Wi-Fi calling turned on.
        • New Flight Attendants from the new hire classes are coming in and out of the ANC and there’s an increase in summer seasonal flying.
        • Unhappiness with trips and inconsistent redeye connections in Seattle.
        • Tickets being reassigned due to Flight Attendants not updating their profiles in the AFA Online Support Center.
        • The SFO base reports that they are seeing a high percentage of unproductive redeyes that are commutable. Would prefer to have more efficient flying or commutable on one end of the pairing.
        • Open Time failure and active grievance.
        • Revised vs reassignment language preference.
        • API failures with Flight Attendants and pilots causing hotel wait time issues.
        • The SEA base has several requests for nonstop PVR 2-day flights. The base is seeing reduction of 4k flying for the fall as management reduces the flying schedule. 
        • Busy July for PBS bidding with IT issues.
        • Bid awards for July using extra combinations to reduce seniority violations.
        • Bid protest for July considered normal.
        • Frustration with lack of updates from NavBlue and request for separation from pilots in meetings.
        • Future releases and installations for NavBlue, including fixes for pilots and Redhat 8 postponed. Both AFA and ALPA are tied to the program and this reduces our ability to install program updates for Flight Attendants. 
        • IT issues with password reset and plans to redirect their help.
        • There were several successful in person base sits around the system, including virtual sits and a new class virtual hour.
        • Bid awards viewing invitation and committee overview.
        • Selection of more expensive D run with the best soft lock ratio.
        • Advocacy for more productive trips and reduction in commutability.
        • Review and improvement of pairings in conjunction with sick calls.
        • Testing completed for JCTE 24.1.6 and trade analysis review.
        • Reduction in block hours for August, line average and reserve percentages.
        • Discussion on August pairings, trip distribution, and upcoming schedules.
        • We reviewed a PowerPoint with management tracking sick leave for lineholders and reserves, it shows year-over-year and month-over-month increases in absence rate.
        • Reserve utilization and sick call percentages per base.
        • Use of premium to reduce reserve utilization.
        • Thoughts on posting premium OT trips in advance and personal drops.
        • Increase in sick leave due to COVID in the Pacific Northwest. 
        • Ditching drills going into JCTE and being audited.

        What The Committee Is Working On

        1. NavBlue. The PBS Subcommittee is seeking feedback on how they can improve their assistance to flight crews regarding bid awards and understanding results. They provided both in-person and virtual meetings for this purpose. The next in-person PBS Training is planned for June 
        2. Pairings Survey. There is a discussion of reviewing bidding data from NavBlue to see what kind of pairings Flight Attendants are interested in flying instead of sending out a survey. We will continue to review options. 
        3. Chime Communications. To reduce phone call volumes, Flight Attendants may soon be able to chat with Crew Scheduling via app/Microsoft Teams. The chat will be for Flight Attendant-initiated contact only. The function is currently in the early stages of development and still needs to be discussed with Labor Relations management and our MEC. Testing and implementation are continuing over the next few weeks. We are working on a letter of agreement for implementation, which is still pending review. 
        4. Crew Scheduling. A monthly review of PowerPoint presentations covered various aspects such as reserve utilization, detailed breakdowns, sick leave (week by week and year over year), premium, personal drops, and other relevant agenda items.
        5. Crew Planning. Like Crew Scheduling, there was a monthly review of PowerPoint presentations that covered subsequent month staffing, trip length distribution, Flight Attendant block hours, special initiatives (e.g., IROPs), commutability, and other relevant agenda items. Statistics around teaming continue to be reviewed. Crew Planning continues to maximize pairing construction and optimizing teaming strategies to minimize costs and ensure that crews (Flight Attendants) can stay together for multiple segments.
        6. ITS. Representatives from ITS joined the scheduling meeting to provide updates on NavBlue, Crew Access, internal systems, and Block2Block. These updates include performance reviews, data analysis, and information about future releases.

        We Want to Hear From You!

        Whether you have feedback for the Committee, concerns to share, or items you’d like brought up with management – don’t hesitate to let us know. Your Local Scheduling Committee is here to be your voice to management. You can easily open a support ticket on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or directly contact us using the information provided on the Scheduling Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Scheduling Committee Tagged With: committee meeting

        Supplemental Ditching Training

        June 20, 2024 11:00

        Grievance Committee

        • AFA has not agreed to any extra-contractual terms for the newly announced supplemental ditching training; discussions with management just started.
        • Many management decision-makers are away at contract negotiations, delaying progress toward any sort of agreement.
        • Our AFA Committees are committed to advocating for your rights and will address unresolved issues through the contractual grievance process if necessary.

        AFA Representatives have recently been receiving a lot of questions about the supplemental ditching training announced by management. We want to make it clear that AFA has not agreed to any extra-contractual terms for this training. Management just began substantive discussions yesterday with our Grievance, Scheduling, Inflight Training, and Air Safety, Health, & Security Committees to work out the administrative and logistical details of the training, but those details are still undetermined. Progress has been slow because many of the primary management decision-makers are currently involved in contract negotiations in Washington, DC, this week and are unavailable to discuss the supplemental ditching training issues.

        While the situation is not ideal, we must meet the regulatory training requirements and address the remaining details later. We don’t yet know what management intends to propose, nor do we know if we can successfully reach an agreement on which contractual provisions AFA believes apply. If we can’t agree, it may come down to addressing the unresolved provisions (particularly contract sections 30.C.3-5) through the contractual grievance process and arbitration afterward, which can be time-consuming.  

        We have clearly communicated your concerns to management and have asked them to provide responses to numerous unanswered questions. Our AFA Committees are actively advocating for your contractual rights. We are dedicated to fighting for those rights, even if it takes time, rather than providing an instant fix.

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC), Grievance Committee, Inflight Training Committee, Scheduling Committee Tagged With: ditching training, training

        Crew Access Open Time Performance – June 16, 2024

        June 19, 2024 09:00

        Scheduling Committee

        • Flight Attendants are facing technical issues with Crew Access and Open Time trading/dropping, causing stress and frustration.
        • Management plans to resolve these issues with server upgrades in June and July and will monitor the system closely during July Open Time.
        • Our Scheduling Committee has requested a meeting with management to discuss long-term solutions for the ongoing Crew Access challenges.

        Recently, many Flight Attendants have been experiencing technical issues with Crew Access and Open Time trading/dropping. These problems have been causing growing frustration and stress, both professionally and personally. Our Scheduling Committee acknowledges the significant impact and is committed to finding effective solutions while holding management accountable for maintaining systems that operate effectively and reliably.

        Management has acknowledged the problems and expressed their commitment to tackling them head-on. As a first step, the JCTE servers are scheduled to undergo an upgrade. New firmware is set to be installed by June 24, followed by upgraded hardware by July 10, or possibly sooner. These enhancements are anticipated to enhance performance and overall system capacity significantly.

        To ensure proactive oversight, the Information Technology Services (ITS) team will work closely with Jeppesen to monitor the JCTE platform during the upcoming Flight Attendant Open Time on July 16. This initiative is a step towards resolving the current issues and improving the operational experience for all Flight Attendants.

        Furthermore, we expect management to deliver thorough and detailed updates on the measures taken to resolve the server load issues. Clear communication and a comprehensive breakdown of the implemented solutions and improvements are essential to ensure transparency. This will help our Scheduling Committee monitor progress and provide Flight Attendants with accurate, up-to-date information.

        To address the more extensive and systemic ongoing challenges with Crew Access, our Scheduling Committee has formally requested a meeting with management to discuss the issues further. This meeting is a critical opportunity for dialogue and exploring concrete solutions to ensure an uninterrupted and contractually compliant experience for Flight Attendants.

        Our Scheduling Committee is fully dedicated to actively addressing JCTE-related issues in order to restore operational normalcy and alleviate the challenges faced by Flight Attendants. We appreciate your continued patience and support throughout this process. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact your Local Scheduling Committee.

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Scheduling Committee Tagged With: crew access, Open Time

        Celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month

        June 1, 2024 09:00

        Human Rights Committee

        • June 1 marks the first day of LGBTQ Pride Month in the United States. The tradition recognizes the events of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a watershed moment in the LGBTQ rights movement. 
        • You can use the resource links below to explore more about LGBTQ Pride Month, delve into the history of the LGBTQ rights movement, and discover events you can take part in.
        • Join the celebration by wearing an LGBTQ Pride Month AFA Pin during June. Contact your Local Council for more information on obtaining a pin.

        June 1 marks the first day of LGBTQ Pride Month in the United States. This celebration originated to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, which is recognized as a significant milestone in the LGBTQ civil rights movement. On June 28, 1970, the first Pride March was held in New York City to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Over time, the single-day event eventually grew to an entire month of events and activities.

        Learn More About LGBTQ Pride Month

        You can learn more about the history of LGBTQ Pride Month and the history of the LGBTQ rights movement through some of the dedicated websites and resources below.

        • National Archives – LGBTQ+ Pride Month
        • Library of Congress – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month
        • National Park Service – Stonewall National Monument
        • Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History – LGBTQ History
        • History Channel – Pride Month
        • Pride at Work
        • Team AAG – Pride Month Is Coming! (AAG sign-on required)

        Celebrate with an LGBTQ Pride Month AFA Pin

        In 2018, the AFA Board of Directors unanimously adopted a resolution to celebrate June as LGBTQ Pride Month. A special commemorative pin was created for AFA Members to proudly wear to honor throughout June.

        If you’re interested in learning more about the pin and its significance, please reach out to your Local Human Rights Committee. Additionally, keep an eye out for communication from your Local Council or get in touch with your LEC Officers to find out how you can get your hands on one of these special pins!

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Human Rights & Equity Committee Tagged With: LGBTQ Pride Month

        • « Previous Page
        • 1
        • …
        • 15
        • 16
        • 17
        • 18
        • 19
        • …
        • 130
        • Next Page »

        Need Help?

        Have an issue or concern to report to AFA?  Click here to access the AFA Alaska online support center.

        Latest News

        • Refreshed Inflight Mobile Device (IMD) Distribution
        • AFA News in Review – September 26, 2025
        • Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – September 2025
        • Meet Our Pre-Merger Alaska Committee Chairperson & Representatives
        • Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2025
        • Vacation Survey Closing Soon
        • Meet Our Merged MEC Committee Chairpersons
        • Human Rights & Equity Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2025
        • AFA News in Review – September 19, 2025
        • Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Election Results

        Refreshed Inflight Mobile Device (IMD) Distribution

        October 2, 2025

        This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants Management has recently informed our Master Executive Council (MEC) that they are distributing new Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) to Flight Attendants with devices nearing the end of their lifecycle. The specific schedule for this distribution will be communicated by management separately. Flight Attendants with the oldest devices […]

        Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – September 2025

        September 25, 2025

        This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, September 23, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met in person at Alaska Airlines Corporate Headquarters to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), […]

        Meet Our Pre-Merger Alaska Committee Chairperson & Representatives

        September 24, 2025

        This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants We’re excited to introduce the first group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives for the upcoming MEC Officer term. They’ll begin transitioning into their roles over the next few months and officially start their terms on January 1, 2026. Below, you’ll find brief biographies that […]

        Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2025

        September 24, 2025

        On Thursday, September 18, our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing efforts to represent our Flight Attendants and advocate for improvements in our workplace. Although our Inflight Service Committee has now merged, meetings with management continue to focus primarily on the Alaska or Hawaiian brands individually. This particular meeting was centered […]

        Vacation Survey Closing Soon

        September 23, 2025

        There’s just 1 DAY LEFT to complete the crucial vacation survey that will help shape future provisions—your insights are essential for advocating the best outcomes for all Flight Attendants. The survey is currently open and will remain available until Wednesday, September 24 at 12 PM PT.

        Recent Posts

        • Refreshed Inflight Mobile Device (IMD) Distribution
        • AFA News in Review – September 26, 2025
        • Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – September 2025
        • Meet Our Pre-Merger Alaska Committee Chairperson & Representatives
        • Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2025
        • Vacation Survey Closing Soon
        • Meet Our Merged MEC Committee Chairpersons
        • Human Rights & Equity Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2025
        • AFA News in Review – September 19, 2025
        • Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Election Results
        • Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results
        • Election Notice: Alaska + Hawaiian MEC Officer Elections
        • SEA Domicile Negotiations – September 2025 Update #2
        • Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2025
        • Celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month

        Local Councils

        • Anchorage
        • Honolulu
        • Los Angeles (pre-merger Alaska)
        • Los Angeles (pre-merger Hawaiian)
        • Portland
        • San Diego
        • San Francisco
        • Seattle

        Master Executive Council

        • MEC

        Negotiations

        • Contract 2022 Home
        • Negotiations News
        • TA2 Information

        Contract

        • Contract Home

        Committees

        • Air Safety, Health, & Security
        • Benefits
        • Communications
        • EAP/Professional Standards
        • Government Affairs
        • Grievance
        • Hotel
        • Human Rights
        • Inflight Service
        • Mobilization
        • Reserve
        • Retirement
        • Scheduling
        • Uniform

        News By Month

        News By Category

        AFA News Now Air Quality Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) AS/HA Merger AS/VX Merger Benefits Committee Committees Communications Committee Contract Contract 2014 Negotiations Blog Council 15 SAN Council 18 LAX Council 19 SEA Council 30 ANC Council 35 SFO Council 39 PDX EAP/Professional Standards Committee Extension 2021 Blog Featured Government Affairs Committee Grievance Committee Hotel Committee Human Rights & Equity Committee Industry News Inflight Service Committee Inflight Training Committee JNC Blog Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Latest News Local Councils Master Executive Council (MEC) Membership Committee Membership Engagement Committee Message from the MEC President Mobilization Committee Negotiations Pairing Construction Preferential Bidding System (PBS) Press Releases Reserve Committee Retirement Committee Scheduling Committee Uniform Committee
        • Email
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • YouTube

        Want To Stay In The Loop?

        Stay up-to-date on AFA Alaska news and information by signing up for our email and text message updates. Click a button below to get started or update your preferences if you're already a subscriber.
        Sign Up for Emails
        Sign Up for Text Updates

        Connect With AFA

        • Contact Us
        • Online Support Center
        • AFA International
        • CWA
        • AFA Alaska Social Media Guidelines
        • AFA-CWA Mutual Respect Policy

        Copyright © 2013-2025 Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO