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Open Time and Vacation Open Time Update

 

eMaestro not able to adequately handle the amount of users

 

Over the past few months the Master Executive Council (MEC) and the AFA Scheduling Committee have been actively working with management to help ease the transition during implementation of the new Open Time system. The reality of the situation is that eMaestro is not able to adequately handle the amount of users accessing the system at one time. This is why Open Time crashed in September when Seattle OT trading began.

 

User capacity increased in October, but…

 

To help remedy the issue, management agreed to increase the user capacity in October. This action did appear to soften the blow during Open Time. However, there were still reports of Seattle flight attendants continuing to experience accessibility issues.

 

eMaestro has just about reached maximum performance given its limitations

 

The changes in the contract to the Open Time system are designed to help enhance trading options for flight attendants. Unfortunately, it appears that management did not fully understand the capabilities, or lack thereof, of the eMaestro system during negotiations. Management continues to work with Jeppesen and the Information Technology (IT) department to tweak the system for maximum performance given its limitations. Unfortunately these adjustments have returned about as much improvement as we’re probably going to get.

 

AFA has the daunting task of finding workarounds

 

This leaves AFA with the daunting task of finding workarounds to ensure all flight attendants have the ability to exercise their contractual rights to trade with Open Time. Once the new Jeppesen Crew Tracking Enterprise (JCTE) program is in place the issues will subside. During negotiations management estimated that JCTE would be implemented at the end of second quarter 2016.

 

Seattle Open Time trading moved to the 16th at 0900 PT

 

One workaround in effect during November Open Time for December trading is Seattle flight attendants’ Open Time moved to the 16th at 0900 PT.

 

  • Posting of trips for trade: 14th at 2000 PT.
  • Open Time trading & FA to FA trading:  15th or 16th (see below)
  • Out of domicile trades, pick-ups and give-aways: 17th  0900 PT

 

Trading/Open Time start times for each base:

 

  • SAN:  15th at 0900 PT
  • PDX:  15th at 1000 PT
  • ANC:  15th at 1100 PT
  • LAX:  15th at 1200 PT
  • SEA:  16th at 0900 PT

 

The Threshold Sequence Number (TSN) for ANC, PDX and SAN is 3 trips per day.  For LAX, management has agreed to increase this to 4 trips per day on a trial basis.  For SEA, the TSN is 11 trips per day. For more information, see Inflight Required Bulletin #2015-0210.

 

The MEC believes moving Seattle trading a day later will help offset the problems with capacity overload for all bases when their respective Open Time trading begins. We will continue to monitor Open Time and work with the AFA Scheduling Committee to find solutions to problems if they occur.

 

Update on the upcoming fixes for Open Time Trading

 

There are four items that will be fixed in the coming months:

 

  1. Net 40 Calculator being visible in Maestro
  2. No need to recall your trip before being able to trade with OT
  3. Correct coding of trips – programing the TX code
  4. Codes displaying on trips in Maestro

 

We will keep you posted on the progress of these fixes, but please know they are on the list and actively being addressed.  Once the coding is corrected, this will allow you the ability to trade a trip on your line with a trip in OT coded other than DD (direct drop to OT), TO (open trade with OT) or CP (coupon drop) (e.g. TX, SL, ML, UB, CB, etc.) for a different report date as long as you are covering the same days of flying or greater. Remember, trips coded with DD, CP or TO cannot be traded in this manner although they can be traded down based on day of departure only.

 

Example: You have a two-day trip on October 20/21 and you want to trade for a 3 day trip coded TX on October 19/20/21 in Open Time, the fix will now allow this trade to occur.

 

Vacation Open Time Update

 

Due to problems with vacation open time, the MEC has worked with management to make it easier for you to trade your vacation with vacation open time! Refer to Inflight Bulletin #2015-0268 for detailed information.

 

Vacation trading will start on October 28th

  • SAN at 0900 PT
  • PDX at 1000 PT
  • ANC at 1100 PT
  • LAX at 12:00am PT
  • SEA at 2:00pm PT

 

* * *

 

We know that is a lot of information! If you have any questions, contact a Local Executive Council (LEC) officer (ANC 30 | SEA 19 | PDX 39 | LAX 18 | SAN 15) or a local Scheduling Committee member.

 

In solidarity,

 

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; and MEC Scheduling chairperson Jake Jones

AFA Alaska

Enacting 8.S [Natural Disasters…] Due to Hurricane Patricia Affecting Puerto Vallarta

Out of an abundance of caution, Alaska Airlines management has made the decision to turn crews out of Puerto Vallarta (PVR) tomorrow in response to Hurricane Patricia. AFA and Alaska Airlines have agreed to enact the provision of 8.S [Natural Disasters…] in order to facilitate their removal. Management is working on providing additional communication that will be out shortly.

If you have any questions, contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers or Scheduling Committee members.

In solidarity,

Your MEC—Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Scheduling Chair Jake Jones

AFA Alaska

Open Time Trading Tips

What do the Open Time codes mean?

 

Although the actual two letter codes in eMaestro are somewhat arbitrary and could change in the successor trading system, Jeppesen Crew Tracking Enterprise (JCTE), they do have a meaning. If a day is “open” in Open Time (OT), trips with the following codes can be traded (including downtraded) without respect to legs, days, TFP, et cetera—including the codes.

 

If a day is “limited” in OT, that is when the codes become important. Trips with the following codes in OT can be traded (including downtraded) without respect to legs, days, TFP, etc.:

  • DD (direct drop to OT),
  • CP (coupon drop), and
  • TO (“open” trade).

 

If a day is limited in OT, a trip with any other code than those three can be traded only day for day or greater. Those codes include TX (“limited” trade), SL (sick leave), ML (medical leave), CB (Company Business), UB (Union Business) and others.

 

However in order to avoid confusion, AFA has requested that all the other codes to be “masked” in the Open Time group display (“Grp”) so you can focus on finding the “golden ticket” coded-trips that may be downtraded regardless of whether the day is open or limited: DD, CP, TO.

 

We’ve simplified it so that if a trip’s group display field is blank, the trip can be downtraded if the day of departure is open in OT; otherwise if the day of departure is limited in OT, a blank trip can be traded only day for day or greater.

 

Where to find the codes

 

The DD, CP and TO trip codes will eventually be displayed in eMaestro and/or the successor JCTE. In the meantime, you can still view the codes by logging into the World of Inflight –> My Schedule –> Open Time.  The relevant codes are listed in the third column on the left under “Grp.” As mentioned above, if the field is blank that means the trip is coded something other than DD, CP or TO (e.g. TX, UB, CB, ML, SL, etc.) and the trip can be traded only day for day or greater if the day of departure is limited in OT.

Net 40 TFP

 

CBA §12.F.4 “A Flight Attendant has the ability to reduce her/his schedule by a net maximum of forty (40.0) TFP…as a result of drops or trades with OT each bid month.”

 

The net 40 TFP reduction only applies to activity in OT—not FA to FA trades/pick ups/drops.

 

There is no net 40 TFP calculator presently, so you will need to keep track of that yourself for now. AFA finds this extremely frustrating and is diligently working toward a solution with management.

 

For example, if you have a 4-day trip worth 20 TFP and you trade in OT for a 1-day trip worth 5 TFP, your net 40 TFP is now down 15 TFP to 25 TFP. If you then pick up a 2-day trip from OT worth 10 TFP then your net 40 is now up 10 TFP to 35 TFP. If you pick up a 3-day trip from a FA worth 15 TFP, your net 40 in unaffected since it only applies to trades/pick ups/drops with OT.

 

Open Days

 

On any calendar day that is “open” and not “limited,” all sequences with that day of report may be picked up, traded or dropped into OT without respect to the number of flights, the number of days and/or duty periods, TFP credit or any other parameters.

 

For example, if you wish to trade your 3-day trip beginning on October 4th for a 2-day trip in OT beginning on October 17th, as long as October 4th is open and you are not over your net 40 TFP, you can make the trade.

 

Limited Days

 

Any sequence reporting on a calendar day that is “limited,” that sequence may be traded for another sequence with the same day of report regardless of the length of the trip.

 

For example, if you wish to trade your KOA OAK 3-day trip reporting on October 9th with a turn in OT reporting on October 9th, it would be approved provided you are not over your net 40. For further detail on how this is accomplished, click here.

 

The example shows how to first trade up from a 2-day to the KOA OAK 3-day and then down to a turn, but the latter part of the trade is perfectly legal by itself if the KOA OAK 3-day was already on your line.

 

* * *

 

Questions? Contact your local Scheduling Committee members.

 

In Solidarity,

 

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; and your AFA Scheduling Committee

AFA Alaska

 

 

 

 

Open Time Trip Trading Example October 2015

New Open Time User Guide

Some big changes are coming with our new Open Time system. To help with the transition we’d like to point out some highlights and give helpful hints.

 

Open Time Video

 

For a full review of the new Open Time, check out the video that was produced during the TA-2 Roadshows:

Correction: Trading for any newly established domicile(s) would begin at 9am, not 3pm as stated in the video.

 

Fundamentals

 

  • Flight Attendant to Flight Attendant and the new Open Time trading will begin simultaneously on the 15th of the month prior to the month in which the flying will occur. Trading remains unlimited. Access to trading will begin as follows: SAN at 9:00am PT, PDX at 10:00am PT, ANC at 11:00am PT, LAX at 12:00pm PT and SEA at 2:00pm PT.

 

  • Flight Attendants may post trips at 8:00pm PT on the 14th of the month.

 

  • Every sequence in the new Open Time is coded with a reason code: e.g., TO (trades with Open Time), CP (Coupon Drops), SL (Sick Leave), UB (Union Business) and CB (Company Business). There could be other reason codes, but these are the most common. The CP code will likely be very rare since drop coupons haven’t been issued in years.

 

  • The “Threshold Sequence Number” is based on domicile population (see Section 12.F.3 [Open Time Trial]) and is currently calculated as 10 in Seattle and 3 in Anchorage, Portland, Los Angeles and San Diego. This means that when the total number of sequences coded as TO/CP in Open Time on that day meets or exceeds the Threshold Sequence Number, the day will be “limited.” Remember, only the first day of TO/CP sequences counts towards the Threshold Sequence Number and therefore the limiting of Open Time. The Threshold Sequence Number can change based on the number of Flight Attendants in a base; however, there will always be a minimum of 3. Any other type of sequence: SL, UB, CB, etc., does not count toward the Threshold Sequence Number.

 

  • A Flight Attendant is able to reduce his/her schedule by a net 40 TFP as a result of dropping to or trading with Open Time each bid month. There is no cap on how much TFP can be dropped as a result of dropping to or trading with another Flight Attendant.

 

Open Days

 

  • On any calendar day that is “open” and not “limited” (closed under the old contract), all sequences with that day of report may be picked up, traded or dropped into Open Time without respect to the number of flights, the number of days and/or duty periods, TFP credit or any other parameters.

 

  • If you wish to trade a sequence with a sequence on a different calendar day, the only day that needs to be open is the day in which you report for your sequence. For example, you have a 3-day trip beginning on October 4th and you want to trade for a 2-day trip beginning on October 17th, as long as October 4th is open, regardless of the reason code, you can make this trade.

 

Limited Days

 

  • Once a day is limited because the Threshold Sequence Number has been met, all trips coded other than TO/CP will be converted to a reason code of TX.

 

  • If a day is limited it can be reopened if a Flight Attendant picks up a TO/CP sequence from that day.

 

  • Any sequence reporting on a calendar day that is limited and is coded other than TO/CP may only be traded for a sequence (with the same date of report) of the same or greater number of days. For example, if a sequence is coded TX, SL, UB, CB, etc., and you wish to trade with that sequence and the day of report is limited, you could only trade your 2-day trip reporting on October 4th for a 2, 3 or 4 day trip reporting October 4th, and you could not trade for a turn.

 

  • Any sequence reporting on a calendar day that is limited and is coded TO/CP then that sequence may be traded for another sequence with the same day of report regardless of the length of trip. For example, if you wish to trade your 4-day trip reporting on October 4th with 1-day trip reporting on October 4th, it would be approved provided the Open Time trip is coded TO/CP.

 

Miscellaneous

 

  • All things being equal, it is to your fellow co-workers’ benefit if you are going to pick up a trip you do so out of the Flight Attendant to Flight Attendant trade box, or if you pick up out of Open Time, that you pick up a trip that is coded TO or CP. This will open the day if it is limited, allowing another flight attendants to drop a trip into Open Time.

 

  • All of this information can be found in the Collective Bargaining Agreement in Section 12.F. [Open Time Trial].

 

* * *

 

Questions? Contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers or your local Scheduling Committee members.

 

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Grievance Committee chairperson Jennifer Wise MacColl and MEC Grievance Committee member Stephanie Adams

Your Contract Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

AFA Alaska

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