This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants
On Thursday, April 3, our AFA Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Deb Wallstrom (ANC), David Lake (SEA), Kalin Lackey (PDX), Brad Young (SFO), Carin Merritt (LAX), and Eva Gatus (SAN). Also present were Hawaiian MEC ASHSC MEC Chairperson Kerri Ruiz and Alaska MEC ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple.
The Committee met with Director of Inflight Safety & Compliance Geri Jarrett, Cabin Safety Manager Heidi Stiley, Temporary Manager of Inflight Policy and Procedure Jesse Sexton, and Manager of Inflight Safety Programs Johanna Giese.
The next scheduled Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee meeting is Thursday, July 17.
Topics of Discussion
The committee reviewed several items when meeting with management. Some items discussed include (items which are Security Sensitive Information are not included):
- Door Closure Procedure Clarity: There is concern that passengers may be in the forward lavatory or vicinity during door arming, which can be distracting. Ideally, passengers should not be near the forward galley during door closure to prevent unnecessary distractions. Jesse will update the ASHSC on this matter on April 16 at the SAN semi-annual base meeting (SBM).
- Better Care/Procedures for Pets in Hold: Ramp agents must handle pets in cargo with extreme care. Pet-in-hold tags should be given at least 15 minutes before door closure to prevent delays, and a checklist should verify that the pet-in-hold tag matches the information in B2B. To address this, we propose additional training and increased awareness. Jesse will provide additional FAM guidance and a procedure for verifying pets on hold.
- Safety Concerns About Sitka Crew Hotel: Reports suggest there may be various issues related to safety and health, including potential hazards and maintenance challenges. Moving to another hotel in the area is proposed. Although options are limited, alternate hotels will be considered and discussed at the next meeting between the MEC Hotel Committee Chairperson and management.
- Tangled MedLink Headsets: MedLink Headset cords are often tangled when needed. The Committee discovered that maintenance does not check for cord tangling, but inflight management will send out a reminder to ensure headsets are stowed correctly after use.
- Seat Backs That Won’t Stay Upright for Taxi, Takeoff, & Landing: Better guidance is needed for seat backs that won’t stay upright when no other passenger seats are available. A straightforward procedure is proposed in the FAM. Geri shared that this will be addressed in the Q2 CBT.
- Cabin Jumpseat Briefing Cards Not Used: The briefing cards in the stationary kit are not always used when Horizon Flight Attendants travel on Alaska Flight Attendant jumpseats. The briefing cards will be updated, a bulletin will be issued, and Heidi will check with Horizon to see if they have similar issues when Alaska Flight Attendants travel on Horizon Flight Attendant jumpseats.
- Passengers Needing to Pre-Board Should Not Be Assigned Exit Row Seats: Passengers with exit row seats who attempt to pre-board should receive additional vetting by the CSA to ensure they are qualified to sit there. Geri will get Inflight ASAP ERC data and talk to Airport Operations & Customer Service (AOCS) about improving exit row questions/vetting during boarding.
- Add Absorbent Material to UPK: The Committee requests that management add an absorbent product, like absorbent powder, in addition to the “towels” in the UPK for liquid/vomit/smell. This is something Hawaiian Airlines has provisioned on its aircraft. Geri will ask Fleet about this and check with the SOC group about the plan for UPKs for the merged airline.
- Cross-Body Bags: With the popularity of cross-body bags, we need better tools to ensure passenger compliance with the requirement to stow these bags. We recommend that CSAs take additional care in monitoring “one plus” and that a Flight Attendant boarding announcement be developed regarding the requirement to remove and stow these bags. Management will review the current CSA announcement and look at adding a Flight Attendant announcement.
- Minimum Amount of Potable Water for Safety: To ensure safety and well-being, the Committee recommends that a minimum number of water bottles be onboard to dispatch an aircraft. Geri will look into this request.
- When to Board Without Pilots: Clarity and alignment between the FAM and CSM are needed regarding when it is okay to board without Pilots, including power requirements for the aircraft. Management stated that to board passengers, the aircraft must have full power/all cabin systems powered, including the interphone, and may not be on “ground service power.”
- Commingling Demo Kits with Carry-On Bags in Overhead Bins: Demo kits are sometimes commingled with passenger carry-on bags (COBs) in overhead bins, making them difficult to access. We believe a divider should separate the demo kits from COBs. Geri will review the request with Alaska Maintenance and Engineering.
- Paper Clips/Hard to Find and Use, Need Manual Release Tools: Ideally, every Flight Attendant jumpseat would have a manual release tool (MRT). Geri is working on something and will coordinate with the ASHSC on the project.
- Passengers Waiting for Baggage, etc., in Jetbridge After Deplaning: Flight Attendants need to be able to go to their next assignment or be released after the last passenger deplanes, and CSAs need to be available to attend to passengers still in the jetbridge.
- Pet Carriers Do Not Fit Under Aisle Seats: Passengers with pets and carriers often have assigned aisle seats where even size-compliant carriers may not fit. Geri and Jesse will set up a discovery meeting about this issue.
What the Committee is Working On
- Merger—Policy and Procedure: As we move towards achieving a Single Operating Certificate (SOC) with Hawaiian, we will merge policies and procedures as much as possible. This will result in a shared Flight Attendant Manual (FAM) that will be used by the combined group of pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants. The ASHSC has advocated for the opportunity to provide recommendations on which policies and procedures will be adopted by the combined carrier.
- Merger—Uniform: The ASHSC is collaborating with the Uniform Committee to ensure we have the opportunity to provide recommendations on uniform safety issues and maintain a trusted and reliable supply chain for uniform items.
- Merger—Aircraft Interiors: The ASHSC is working with our MEC and Grievance Committee to ensure that our contractual right to review and provide feedback on any changes to aircraft interiors is upheld.
We Want to Hear From You!
If you’ve encountered any safety-related issues at work, you can help the Committee advocate for improvement and change by submitting a report. You can use ReportIt! to submit Flight Attendant Irregularity Reports (FAIR), Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) reports, and fatigue reports. If you need clarification or assistance on what type of report to file, please get in touch with a member of your Local ASHSC.
Your Local ASHSC is always ready to represent your voice to management. Please don’t hesitate to let us know about any issues or concerns you want us to bring forward. We would also love to hear any other feedback you may have for the Committee. You can find our contact information on the ASHSC page of the AFA Alaska website.
