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Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025

On Monday, October 13, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met in person in Seattle to receive an update about current layover hotels and transportation providers and discuss concerns with management. Representing you at the meeting were Dori Marron (ANC), Jarod McNeill (SEA), Kelly Hepworth (PDX), Hilary Streem (SFO), Chris Cardenas (LAX), and Kanani Vallot (SAN), with MEC Hotel Committee Chairperson James Bozanich facilitating the meeting.

The Committee met with Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Manager of Crew Hotels and Administration Diane Szubert, Senior Crew Hotels Support Specialist Nichole Turner and Crew Hotels Support Specialist LaFay Williams. Managing Director of Operational Staffing and Resource management Brittany Audette also joined for a portion of the meeting.    

Our next meeting with management is scheduled for Monday, November 10.

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed several items during the meeting with management, most of which focused on hotel decisions and challenges in our layover markets. Some items discussed include:

  • Relationship Management: Although API is our hotel vendor, Crew Hotels is working on increasing direct communication with our contracted properties. This will help build relationships, especially with our newer properties. Crew Hotels will begin communicating with our new properties within six months of usage and perform yearly check-ins at all properties.   
  • Use of Ride Share Transportation:  Due to the changing nature of the ground transportation environment, the use of ride share vehicles is becoming more common. The Committee is aware of this and has been having ongoing discussions around minimum standards. Transportation should always be ordered that can accommodate all crewmembers and their luggage safely and comfortably. If there is ever a concern with the transportation provided, do not get into the vehicle and contact Crew Scheduling immediately to resolve the issue.    
  • TBDs in Bid Packet (pmAS):  There was a high number of TBDs in the bid packet for November. This is due to the process the Hotel Committee requested, which is to place a TBD placeholder in the pairing when the layover hotel is not known before uploading into NAVBLUE. This new process makes these layovers stand out more, but adds greater transparency to the bid. The November TBDs are all due to our rooms being over-capped (that is, the requested rooms are above the contracted usage at our crew hotel in that market) in that particular market. Our hotel usage fluctuates as our network is adjusted. 
  • Recurrent Training Hotel Support (pmAS): Earlier this month, a glitch in the reservation system at one of our training hotels resulted in lost reservations. As this happened over a weekend, it was unclear which Inflight department was responsible for offering support and correcting the issue. In debriefing the event, additional guidance will be added to the Recurrent Training SharePoint site to address who to contact with hotel issues outside regular business hours.  

Hot Topics

  • Hotel Etiquette: We greatly value the positive relationships we’ve established with our contracted properties as part of our hotel program. During layovers, please remember that you represent the company while staying in a company-provided hotel room. We kindly ask all Flight Attendants to keep this in mind and ensure that any personal charges are settled before checkout. Enjoying hotel amenities responsibly also goes a long way in helping us maintain these important relationships. The Committee works hard to select quality hotels that provide added perks, such as complimentary breakfast, to enhance your comfort and convenience. If you encounter any issues during your stay, we encourage you to approach hotel staff with courtesy and respect. Should you need any further assistance or be unable to resolve a concern, please feel free to reach out to your Local Hotel Committee for additional support. We’re here to help make your layover experience a positive one!

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Conducting Hotel Site Visits: The Hotel Committee conducts visits to hotels that are under consideration by management to ensure that the selected options provide the safest and most comfortable layover experience for Flight Attendants. Crew Hotels has provided the Committee with the remaining cities that will be visited in 2025: SAN (Oct), CUN (Oct), BNA (Nov), SFO (Nov), MCO – Long Stay (Nov), ORD – Short Stay (Dec), and SJO (Dec). We are also looking at options in SIT and plan to have a site visit there before the end of the year. Market reviews are triggered by factors such as contract expirations, crew complaints, and opportunities for cost savings. Depending on the outcome of these reviews, additional site visits may be arranged in those cities.
  2. Hotel Gainshare Program: The parties met on September 26 to continue discussing this program. The items needing more time to research center around scheduling issues and processes. We are getting closer to seeing a program come to life. The next meeting is scheduled for October 24. 

We Want to Hear From You!

Our Hotel Committee relies on your feedback, whether positive or negative. Please report via CrewCare (pmAS) or the hotel and transportation feedback reporting form (pmHA), which ensures your experience with a layover hotel or ground transportation is addressed. These are the only official way to report issues, as the Committee does not monitor social media channels.

Each CrewCare and feedback form submission is forwarded to our AFA Hotel Committee, Crew Hotels (Alaska/Hawaiian management), API, and the hotel or ground transportation provider. This ensures quick action can be taken to correct or fix the issue for the next crew member. It also allows us to monitor hotel and transportation trends. Pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants can quickly file a CrewCare report using the web app on your IMD home screen or by clicking here.

Do you have any other feedback you would like to share with the Committee or any specific items you want us to bring up with management? Please let us know! Your Local Hotel Committee is here to represent you and ensure management hears your voice. You can find our contact information on the Hotel Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Election Results

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee positions to be elected for the upcoming MEC Officer term. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful consideration and deliberation, the following candidates have been elected:

MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) LOSA Representative: David Lake
MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) ASAP Primary Representative: Brad Young
MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) ASAP Alternate Representative: Ronda Ruderman
MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) FRB Primary Representative: Brad Young
MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson: Julie Thornton
MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson: Jake Jones
MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson – Pairing Construction: Karen Ferrell
MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson – PBS: Virginia Fritz
MEC Scheduling Committee PBS Subcommittee Members: Adam Clarey, Melodie Anderes, and Krystal Kehrli
MEC Scheduling Committee FRB Primary Representative: Bianca Dew
MEC Scheduling Committee FRB Alternate Representative: Russel Rivinius

These newly elected MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives will carry out their respective roles specific to our six pre-merger Alaska Local Councils as we continue to navigate the merger process. They’ll begin the transition into their roles over the next few months, with their official term beginning on January 1, 2026. They will serve for the upcoming MEC Officer election cycle from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2028.

If you have any questions about the pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee elections, please reach out to your LEC President.

Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results

During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of merged MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful consideration and deliberation, the following candidates have been elected:

MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairperson: Seth Heiple
MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Vice Chairpersons: Brad Young and Kerri Ruiz
MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Air Quality Representative: Deb Wallstrom

These newly elected MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives will coordinate the activities of their respective merged committees across both airlines. They’ll support the Local Committee Chairpersons from all eight Local Councils—both pre-merger Alaska and pre-merger Hawaiian. Their official term will begin on November 1, 2025. They’ll serve for the remainder of the current MEC Officer election cycle (January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2025), as well as for the upcoming cycle (January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2028).

If you have any questions about the MEC Committee Chairperson elections, please reach out to your LEC President.

U.S. Customs & Border Protection Gender Code Requirement

Recently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced changes to the rules surrounding how airlines report information about passengers and crew before flights. This system is called the Advance Passenger Information System, or APIS. These changes are in response to a Presidential Executive Order.

What is APIS?

APIS is a system that airlines are legally required to use to send information about passengers and crew members to CBP before an international flight departs. This includes details like a person’s name, date of birth, gender, nationality, and passport number. The information is cross-referenced against law enforcement databases for potential risks or problems before travelers arrive in the United States. The goal is to enhance national security by identifying inadmissible individuals before they arrive in the United States, while also speeding up the process for legitimate travelers.

It’s important to note that Flight Attendants do not handle APIS information directly. Instead, Customer Service Agents (CSAs) are responsible for entering the required data into the Passenger Service System, which transmits to APIS.

What Has Changed?

Currently, APIS allows entries of “M” for male and “F” for female to indicate gender. Previously, it also accepted other letters without causing issues. Starting October 13, 2025, the system will only accept “M” or “F” in the gender field. If an airline tries to submit anything else, APIS will return an error, meaning they will have to fix the entry. If a traveler’s document shows a different gender indicator or none at all, the airline or the traveler will need to choose either “M” or “F.”

How Will This Work At Alaska and Hawaiian?

This change will affect Flight Attendants who are operating, deadheading, and traveling for pleasure on international flights to or from the United States. We have reached out to management to find out how they plan to address situations where a passenger’s documents don’t match the new requirements. We are still waiting for their response.

Hawaiian Brand Inflight Service Committee Update – 3rd Quarter 2025

Our AFA Inflight Service Committee holds regular meetings and discussions with management to receive updates, address Flight Attendant concerns, 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 update is centered on the Hawaiian brand.

As we move forward, the Committee remains dedicated to providing comprehensive updates on service for both the Alaska and Hawaiian brands. We aim to present this information in ways that reflect the distinct work being done for each brand, whether individually or collectively.

Representing you in conversations with management is MEC Inflight Service Committee Chairperson—Hawaiian Brand Bianca McKee. Representing management are Senior Inflight Experience Program Manager Wendy Kong and Principal Product Manager Service Strategy Jesse Starmer.

Development of the Boeing 787-9 Service

The company put together a Medium Haul and Long Haul Focus Group to develop the inflight service prior to putting the 787 into service. Flight Attendant volunteers and AFA Representatives worked to evaluate and provide feedback to marketing and inflight service management. This included testing the service and catering to identify core issues and areas for improvement. The company Focus Groups continue to meet periodically to address continuing issues and to improve the effectiveness of the service. The Committee is actively involved in the Focus Groups while also meeting on a regular basis to address new and ongoing concerns.

Key Highlights for 787-9 SEA International Service

SEA-ICN

  • “Zone” to “Train”: To account for the standard crew of nine Flight Attendants, the main cabin is left with five Flight Attendants to complete main cabin service. The feedback we received was that servicing with an odd number of Flight Attendants resulted in lengthy service times, lopsided delivery, heavy Flight Attendant workload, and overly complicated cart set-up and breakdown. We have worked with management from servicing specific zones to serving from front-to-back in a train-style method. Train service was launched with the inaugural of SEA-ICN. We’ve since found areas for improvement, updates to the service flow are expected to be implemented on October 15. Please check the IFS website SEA-NRT/ICN Onboard Service for updates (HA login required).
  • Main Cabin Mid-Flight Sandwich Service: The Committee was unsuccessful at eliminating this service entirely. We were able to find a compromise with management by removing beverage refills on both SEA-ICN and ICN-SEA to allow for mid-flight service on the SEA-ICN leg. The mid-flight cold sandwich service will only occur on daytime operated departures. Diurnal (red eye) departures will have cold sandwich offerings available in the aft galley upon request.
  • Mid-Flight Sandwich Options: The Committee advocated for a one-option sandwich choice. Similar to our North America Medium Haul Service, vegetarian options are to be served upon request only.
  • Meal Service: Meal carts include racks for entree loading and meals will no longer need to be loaded on to individual TSUs.
  • Main Cabin 1st Meal Service: Starting October 15, TSUs will no longer be double stacked.
  • Main Cabin 2nd Meal Service: We have received numerous reports regarding the ineffectiveness of the quarter-meal tray. The negative feedback included flimsy trays, difficulty to load and reach, did not link to each other, and would get stuck on the cart stabilizer. The Committee has suggested transitioning back to a “bagged” meal service or to source a more effective tray. Management is working with their supplier to source new trays with a delivery date of early 2026.

SEA-NRT

  • Transition from the A330 to 787: Zone-style service will continue on the A330 until the route transitions to the 787 in January (subject to change).
  • Main Cabin 1st Meal Service: Despite evaluating several other options, we were unable to eliminate the double-stacked TSU’s. Primarily due to space constraints.
  • Mid-Flight Ice Cream Service: The ice cream service was moved to mid-flight on daytime operated departures to align with SEA-ICN service flow. In alignment with SEA-ICN, beverage refills were removed.
  • Main Cabin 2nd Meal Service: Parallel to the SEA-ICN, management is working to source a new quarter-meal tray with a delivery date of early 2026. Meal carts include racks for entree loading to alleviate set up time. Meals will no longer need to be loaded on to individual TSU’s.
  • Diurnal (red-eye) Service Flow (NRT-SEA only): With the elimination of the first beverage service, the first meal service is to commence after take-off followed by hand delivered ice cream.

Other Service Updates

Hawaiian Catering to migrate to the Alaska IFX System

  • Catering Change Requests: On hold until February 1, 2026, unless service flow changes are deemed necessary or a safety concern is identified.
  • December Domestic & South Pacific Menu Change: On hold. The current menu will run until January 31, 2026.
  • New Cart Diagram & Carrier Tags: Will go live on November 5 for domestic flights and December 10 for international flights. Please follow the IFS website Catering and Service for details (HA login required).

Pre-Recorded Announcements (PRAM)

  • 787 Pre-Recorded Announcements: in progress, target date early 2026
  • Digital Agriculture Form Announcement: in progress

Extra Comfort to change to “Premium Class”

  • Premium Class: Seats previously designated Extra Comfort will be sold as “Premium Class” starting on October 14. Please follow the IFS website for details.
  • Headrest: All HA metal Extra Comfort headrests will be replaced with a Premium Class headrest.
  • Retrofit Chart: The Committee has requested to have a retrofit chart posted on the Aircraft Initiatives page on the FS website once retrofit begins (HA login required).
  • Premium Class: To launch on HA flights in April 2026. Information has been shared to the public on Alaska Air News Hub and on the IFS website (HA login required).

Beverage Updates

  • Mai Tai Predeparture Box: Options are being explored to have pre-departure mai tais available in a larger format as opposed to individual mini bottles. 
  • Juice Boxes: Will be returning in early 2026.

Turbulence Awareness

  • Safety First: As we enter the winter season, please feel empowered to put your safety first. No onboard service should be held above Flight Attendant safety. Continue to Intelex service deviations and safety concerns.

Continued Discussion with Management

The Committee meets with management monthly to discuss ongoing concerns and new developments. We are actively engaging in conversations with management to address staffing issues, which have been identified as a primary concern by Flight Attendants. 

As we navigate through challenging transitions under new management, it becomes increasingly important to drive changes through reporting. Please continue to submit Intelex Reports regarding any service issues.  Issues with catering can be submitted by email to ha.catering@hawaiianair.com. 

The Committee is committed to advocating for Flight Attendants by driving positive change for inflight services. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your LEC Officers and our Inflight Service Committee at inflightservice@afaalaska.org.

SEA Domicile Negotiations Update – January 2026

The Hawaiian Seattle Domicile Negotiating Committee has reached an agreement with management, confirming the “Rescinding the Award” provision and extending the bid timeline by one week to Monday, January 19 at 2359 HT. As of January 7, a total of 189 Hawaiian Flight Attendants have submitted bids for the new SEA Domicile, primarily from HNL and LAX. Discussions about the moving day process are ongoing, with further updates expected before the revised bid deadline.

Using Apps to Support New Year Wellness Goals

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Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – December 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, December 16, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually 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), Melinda Jorge (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), […]

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