This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

On Tuesday, November 25, 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), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Kanako Yamado (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—PBS Virginia Fritz, and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones were also present.

The Committee met with Crew Scheduling Supervisor Matthew Trujillo, Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Manager of Flight Crew System Support Sue Rawlings, and other management representatives from Crew Planning, Crew Scheduling, information technology (ITS), payroll, and inflight performance.

The Committee is next scheduled to meet in person on Tuesday, December 16.

Topics of Discussion

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

Local Committee Chairperson Reports:

PDX

• Charter Pay Issues: Two Flight Attendants were paid differently for charter assignments. It appears one Flight Attendant was compensated under the night rule, and we’re having payroll investigate if applicable.
• IT Outage Impact: During the IT outage, issues arose where two Flight Attendants received payment based on the old process, resulting in a flight being partially paid at a premium rate. Reviewing the pay and ensuring it is accurate. 

SAN

• Grievance Over Duty Pay Concern: Management is not paying compensation for Flight Attendants who are going over duty that extends beyond 12:30 and flying into their day off. AFA plans to file a grievance. It could take several months to resolve, as our position is that they pyramid. 
• Turn Requests: Emails were sent requesting more turn assignments. There was a lot of discussion about the optimizer, aircraft rotation, duty days, hotel costs, and several other factors that led to pairing length and distribution.

ANC

• Quiet Operations: The period has been relatively calm, aside from some reassignments related to exceptions.

LAX

• Surface Deadhead Check-in Issues: Flight Attendants were given a late check-in for a surface deadhead flight. We are expecting a resolution to the ability to check in for surface deadheads in future updates of Block2Block (B2B). For now, please call Crew Scheduling to check in for surface deadheads. 
• Charter Trip Discrepancies: Blurry picture details for posted charter trips were reported. Crew Scheduling confirmed the information was updated correctly on their end. They needed to upload a new PDF. If you notice an upload is blurry, please contact Crew Scheduling to resolve the issue. 

SFO

• Pay Concerns: Questions arose surrounding over-duty pay and pyramiding of day-off pay. A grievance is being filed. 
• Delay Reporting: A delay from JFK required reporting before TSA closed; the ticket regarding this was forwarded to the Reserve Committee for further review.

SEA

• Social Media Reports and Check-in Times: Flight Attendants raised concerns about late reports, emphasizing that they are not required to check in earlier than scheduled. This has been driven by management’s push to move departures on certain flights earlier than scheduled, when the system updates the flight departure earlier by 5 minutes or less.
• Tech Stop Policy: Confirmed that tech stops count as 1.5 times for duty periods, and reports need to be tracked to avoid advising Flight Attendants to file inquiries unnecessarily.
• IT Debrief: Discussions are ongoing regarding deadhead seating and outstanding issues, necessitating follow-up with Crew Scheduling on compensation. 
• Feedback on Pairings: Flight Attendants expressed a desire for specific turns and two-day trips (one leg per day). This is difficult as the system builds the trips, and the flying is being distributed for a multitude of reasons. 

PBS Subcommittee Report

• Bidding & Awards: December’s focus was on coverage and denial mode, with good engagement as Flight Attendants sought to understand the program better. December Awards bidding was smooth, coinciding with high coverage during the holiday month.
• Bid Protests: Most protests were related to coverage, which is not a valid basis for a protest. Flight Attendants are encouraged to reach out for education on why they received their award, rather than relying on a Bid Protest to seek advice.
• Meetings: A series of meetings took place, including quarterly NAVBLUE customer calls and AFA monthly calls, as well as focus groups discussing error messages.
• Testing and Releases: Completed testing of PBS version 25.5.574. Goal to upgrade to this version in December to be ready for February Bidding. In 2026, PBS logins will transition to AAG SSO.
• PBS Base Sits: Base sits for 2026 have been approved, allowing for two visits per base annually, with the first expected in April 2026.

Pairing Construction Report

• Raw Pairings: Sent out to Local Scheduling Committee Chairpersons, with a focus on penalizing three and four-day trips while increasing one and two-day trips. 
• Run Selections: Noted an increase in soft locks within the chosen runs.

ITS Report

• PBS Testing Completion: Successfully tested PBS version 25.574 with 234 out of 239 passes.
• TFP Calendar Changes: Development is complete; user acceptance testing has started.
• Trade Data: November saw 103539 total trades, with a 98.5% transaction speed under 10 seconds. A release is scheduled for December 8, 2025. Information about the release will be distributed within the next few weeks. 
• Future Releases: Focusing on international restrictions and automating deadhead flight components.

Payroll Report

• Pay Inquiries: Increased inquiries to 4323 for October, a rise from September.
• Quarterly Rainmaker Meetings: Scheduled for 2026, focusing on Crew Scheduling annotations and upcoming system updates aimed at automating pay components.

Crew Planning Report

• January 2026 Projections: Total block hours at 288844, which is lower than December. Staffing adjustments for the month are around 312. We expect to see reserve percentages around 19% for the system-wide. 
• Upcoming Changes: The Pairing Analytics Dashboard is scheduled to launch soon, with adjustments for pilot teaming and Flight Attendant pairing strategies ongoing through February.
• PBS Update: There will be an update to NAVBLUE around December 17, 2025, that will require Flight Attendants to utilize SSO and change their passwords every 90 days. 

Crew Scheduling Report

• Sick Leave Trends: Sick leave rates remain consistent with the previous year, with 5587 calls in November.
• Reserve Utilization: Reserve utilization is currently at 90%, with Seattle having the highest rates.
• Premium Breakdown: November’s premium figures reported significant activity in both awarded and contractual premiums.
• Implementation Timeline: Ongoing updates regarding B2B contactability and upcoming changes to the project management structure.

Hotel Committee Update

• Transportation Safety: Initiatives are underway to ensure the safe transportation of crews and luggage. Testing of Uber black for pilots is being conducted. We discussed the importance of contacting Crew Scheduling if safety concerns arise with hotels or transportation, and filing Crew Care reports.

What The Committee Is Working On

1. Crew Access Issues: Addressing challenges affecting operations and Flight Attendant satisfaction. Meetings with Jeppesen management and internal/external debriefs regarding a recent outage are scheduled. A Crew Access update is scheduled for December 8, 2025, featuring several improvements and updates. 
2. Resolving Pyramiding Pay Disputes: Discussions are ongoing through the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) process to clarify payment rules for over-duty pay and day-off violations. AFA is filing grievances regarding several concerns with pyramid pay. 
3. ISA for Reserves Implementation: Working to finalize a new system for ineligibility for self-assignment (ISA) for Reserve Flight Attendants, with the next Crew Access release expected in early December 8, 2025. 
4. Vacation Bidding: AFA met with management to discuss the new vendor AI Crew Solutions. It was determined that when a flight attendant either doesn’t hold a bid or forgets to bid that they will be allowed to bid in the 2nd round of vacation. The current process assigns slot 1 and slot 2.  We will provide educational material and information when bidding begins next year on the new platforms. 

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.