On Monday, November 10, 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.
Our next meeting with management is scheduled for Monday, December 1.
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:
- Ground Transportation Issues and CBA Provisions (pmAS): We continue to see a number of MyCrewCare write-ups regarding ground transportation. We greatly appreciate you informing the Committee of your concerns. At no time should Flight Attendants enter a vehicle that cannot safely accommodate all crewmembers and their luggage. Luggage should never be required to be held on your lap or in your foot space. We would like to reiterate the options available to you, as well as the provisions to utilize in the CBA.
- Call Crew Scheduling – If you have any concerns with the transportation provided, whether it is late or inadequate, this should be your first step. Not only does this start the clock for transportation wait times, but it also allows for alternative arrangements to be made to get you to your layover or the airport safely.
- Late Transportation – CBA section 34.B.7 allows you to arrange and submit for reimbursement the actual cost of alternative transportation to/from the airport when it is not provided within thirty-five minutes (:35) of block-in or within ten minutes (:10) of the scheduled departure time from the hotel. Alternatively, if you do not want to send for reimbursement, you can ask that Crew Scheduling arrange this on your behalf at the thirty-five-minute (:35) mark.
- Transportation Wait Times – Informing Crew Scheduling will also document and start the clock on your transportation wait time. If transportation or alternate transportation has not arrived within sixty minutes (:60) of block-in, Flight Attendants may request compensation for their wait time. Please review the process outlined in section 34.D.1 of the CBA.
- Housekeeping Items: Much of our meeting focused on internal processes to improve workflow, planning, and communication between our Committee, management, and API.
- 2026 Hotel Site Visit Schedule – Management has sent the hotel contract expiration list for 2026 to the Committee. Decisions on this list dictate whether a hotel site visit will be performed in that market or not. Typical discussion topics include renewing the hotel’s contract, exploring the market for alternative hotel options (typically due to crew member complaints), or identifying opportunities for company cost savings. Your positive feedback also helps us advocate for maintaining a property in our portfolio, so please continue to send in your compliments!
- Hotel Site Visit Planning – the Committee received last-minute notice of needed site visits in December. We requested to be informed when these discussions first begin so we can plan accordingly. We also discussed the general site visit itinerary and format, focusing on areas that can be improved upon.
- FIFA World Cup – The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 across three North American countries. Many host cities are served by Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines. Because this is a major event, Crew Hotels is taking steps to protect our crew accommodations. We hope to keep layovers at our usual hotels, but some relocations may be needed. For more details, please visit this link.
What The Committee Is Working On
- Conducting Hotel Site Visits: The Hotel Committee conducts site visits to hotels under consideration by management to ensure that the selected options provide the safest and most comfortable layover experience for Flight Attendants.
- Pre-Merger Alaska: Crew Hotels has added some last-minute site visits to close out 2025. The remaining site visits are: SFO (November), MCO – Long Stay (November), ORD – Short Stay (December), PDX – Short Stay (December), SJO – Long and Short Stay (December), and IAD – Long Stay (December). Additionally, we have been given the date for KEF (February 2026), which will be operated on Alaska metal.
- Pre-Merger Hawaiian: Site visits have been completed in PDX, SFO, and LAS, with no future dates announced so far.
- Alaska + Hawaiian Hotel Committee Integration: On October 1, 2025, the pre-merger Hawaiian and Alaska Hotel Committees officially merged. Matt Mitchell, who previously served as the Hawaiian MEC Hotel Committee Chairperson, is now the Council 43 (HNL) Local Hotel Committee Chairperson. The Committee has learned a great deal from him and is excited to continue working together as we improve the Hotel Committee to better support all Flight Attendants. Currently, we are focusing on aligning our backend processes. Since we have a diverse network, different CBAs, and are adding API to the Hawaiian operation, full alignment will happen in phases. We will keep everyone updated as things progress, and we look forward to more chances to connect with Members.
We Want to Hear From You!
Our Hotel Committee relies on your feedback, whether positive or negative. Please report via CrewCare (pmAS) or the FA Crew Accommodations Feedback 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 + Hawaiian website.
