This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants
On Monday, April 14, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met for 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 Senior Crew Hotels Support Specialist Nichole Turner, Crew Hotels Support Specialist LaFay Williams, and Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett from management.
The next scheduled Hotel Committee meeting is Monday, May 12. Following that, on May 21, the Committee will participate in a quarterly business review meeting facilitated by API, along with management and ALPA. If you have any topics you would like us to address, please get in touch with your Local Hotel Committee Chairperson.
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:
- Final Hotel Decision Updates: The Hotel Committee has submitted reports from recent site visits and is awaiting final decisions for the following locations: SAT (Long Stay), LIR (Long Stay), STL (Long Stay), MCO (Short Stay), and MKE (Long Stay). A decision has been made for AUS (Short Stay). For more details, please refer to the Hotel Hotline, as information about our crew hotels cannot be made public. LIR has presented significant challenges for long stays due to limited options and a lack of interest in accommodating crew business. Of the two hotels that submitted bids for the February site visit, one has withdrawn its bid, while the other comes with a substantial cost increase. As a result, a final decision is still pending. We recognize that travel time to our current hotel option inconveniences our Flight Attendants, but we have minimal choices in this market. The Hotel Committee continues to monitor the situation and is committed to advocating for options that better serve our Flight Attendants.
- CrewCare Reporting: We want to highlight the crucial role that CrewCare reports play in driving improvements. Your feedback—whether positive or negative—is invaluable when it comes to evaluating hotels and ground transportation providers. Instead of sharing hotel-related issues on Facebook, which may not lead to effective resolution, we encourage you to submit a CrewCare report. Management closely monitors this official channel, and using it provides us with the necessary data to strengthen our advocacy on your behalf. We understand that you might want to inform your fellow Flight Attendants about issues in a public forum, but please know that formal reporting is far more effective at driving real change. By using the MyCrewCare app, you can easily share your experiences and help us create a better environment for everyone.
- City-Specific Issues: The Hotel Committee discussed concerns regarding properties in SIT and FAI. Crew Hotels (management and API) has been asked to engage with the hotels and explore alternative options in the market. Our smaller cities present challenges in securing contractually compliant options and inventory. Additionally, PVR was reviewed concerning the current group booking, and discussions focused on how to mitigate discomfort when standard hotel amenities are severely limited in the future.
What The Committee Is Working On
- Conducting Hotel Site Visits: The Hotel Committee conducts visits to hotels that are considered by management to ensure that the selected options provide the safest and most comfortable layover experience for Flight Attendants. Scheduled site visits include IAD (May), FLL (May), LAS (May), RSW (June), SEA (June), and FAT (July). 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.
- Hotel Gainshare Program: Our first group meeting between management and AFA is tentatively scheduled for the second week of May. Management has already met internally to begin research and data collection necessary to thoroughly analyze the viability of this program. As a reminder, the recently ratified 2025-2028 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) includes a Commitment to Negotiate a Hotel Gain-Share Program Letter of Agreement (LOA). This LOA states that within four months of the CBA’s ratification, both parties will schedule and engage in negotiation sessions to discuss the Hotel Gain-Share Program. The goal is to implement the program, if feasible, within six months of the CBA ratification. The parties may mutually agree to extend these deadlines.
We Want to Hear From You!
Don’t let any unacceptable experience with a layover hotel or ground transportation provider go unnoticed! Please report the issue via CrewCare so that it can be addressed. CrewCare is the only official way to report issues, as the Hotel Committee does not monitor social media channels.
Each CrewCare submission is forwarded to your AFA Hotel Committee, Crew Hotels (Alaska management), API and the hotel or ground transportation provider. This ensures quick action can be taken to correct the issue or fix it for the next crewmember. It also allows us to monitor hotel and transportation trends. You 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! The 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.
