On Monday, August 10, our AFA Hotel Committee Chairpersons met remotely 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 pmAS), Kelly Hepworth (PDX), Hilary Streem (SFO), Brian Sherill (LAX pmAS), Kanani Vallot (SAN), and Matt Mitchell (HNL), with MEC Hotel Committee Chairperson James Bozanich facilitating the meeting.
The Committee met with Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Manager of Crew Hotel and Administration Diane Szubert, Senior Crew Hotels Support Specialist Nichole Turner, and Crew Hotel Support Specialist LaFay Williams.
Our next monthly meeting with management is scheduled for Monday, September 14. The Committee will also meet with the company’s hotel procurement vendor, API, for their Quarterly Business Review (QBR) on September 23 (pmAS) and September 24 (pmHA). If you have any topics or concerns you’d like addressed, please reach out to your Local Hotel Committee Chairperson. Your input is always valued and helps us advocate effectively on your behalf.
Topics of Discussion
- LIR Update (pmAS): We’ve been actively seeking alternative options in LIR to ease the burden of long van transit times for our crews. In early June, we conducted a site inspection and identified a promising hotel. Unfortunately, another airline was also negotiating with the property at the same time. Due to delays in API’s engagement, that airline secured the last available crew inventory before we could finalize arrangements. We’ve escalated this issue with API management to ensure it doesn’t occur again, as our crews should never be disadvantaged by such oversights. The Committee considers the current transit time unacceptable and believes it violates section 34.A.2.a.2.b.2 (Long Stay transportation allowance) of the collective bargaining agreement. We’ve referred this matter to the Grievance Committee to pursue potential remedies for our Flight Attendants.
- Rooms Unavailable Upon Arrival (pmAS): In recent weeks, we’ve seen several instances of rooms not being available after redeye arrivals, especially in BOS. To address this, Crew Hotels management promptly coordinated with API and hotel management. The root cause was that the hotel had not held rooms aside the night before, leaving rooms unavailable upon crew arrival. The hotel has now implemented a solution, and the Committee is closely monitoring the situation. If issues persist, we will withdraw approval from the property and advocate for a more reliable hotel. Additionally, there has been an increase in Flight Attendants being asked to share rooms due to booking errors by Crew Scheduling and API. While the CBA provides compensation in these cases, our priority is to ensure that every crew member has a guaranteed room. Compensation should be the rare exception, not the norm. Please continue to report any room availability concerns so the Committee can follow up and seek a resolution.
- Desert Coach (pmAS): We’ve received reports in several cities that Desert Coach has been combining crew shuttles and delaying departures to wait for additional crews. Crew Hotels management has already followed up and reminded Desert Coach that crews must not be delayed or shuttles combined. This practice not only inconveniences our crews but also raises concerns about potential double-billing when only one shuttle is provided. Management is currently auditing ground transportation billing to ensure accuracy. If these issues are not resolved, the Committee will advocate for alternative ground transportation providers to better serve our Flight Attendants.
- 2027 Training Hotels in SEA (pmAS): Next year, training for all frontline workgroups (Inflight, Pilots, and CSAs) will be centralized at the Global Training Center (GTC) in Seattle. This will significantly increase the company’s hotel needs in the area. We are working closely with our Inflight Training Committee to inspect and secure additional hotel properties to ensure our Flight Attendants have comfortable, reliable accommodations during training.
- Construction Disturbances in SEA (pmHA): We’ve received reports of construction disturbances outside the SEA crew hotel for pmHA crews. To prioritize your comfort and rest, crews have been temporarily relocated to an alternate property. The Committee will continue to monitor the situation.
What The Committee Is Working On
1. Conducting Hotel Site Visits: Our Hotel Committee conducts site visits on hotels under consideration by management to ensure that the selected options provide the safest and most comfortable layover experience for Flight Attendants. Market reviews are triggered by factors such as contract expirations, crew complaints, and cost-saving opportunities.
- Pre-Merger Alaska: The scheduled site visits through the rest of 2026 are:
- Aug: OGG, MCI (Short), CHS (Long)
- Sept: YYC (New Layover), YEG (New Layover), ORD (Long)
- Oct: JFK (Long/Mid), TUS (Short), OAK (Short/Long)
- Nov: IND, RDU (Long)
- Dec: SEA (Mid), TPA (Long)
- Pre-Merger Hawaiian: The scheduled site visits through June 2026 are:
- Aug: HNL, OGG
- Sept: SMF
2. Hotel Gainshare Update (pmAS): At this time, there are no new developments to report on the Hotel Gainshare program. Negotiations remain paused as management continues to express concerns about potential federal tax implications. In response, AFA International submitted a thorough legal counterargument to the company’s Vice President of Tax and their outside tax counsel. Despite our efforts, the company’s attorney maintains that a hotel gainshare program would violate tax laws and has repeatedly advised them not to move forward. Our next step is to retain a tax attorney to provide an independent review of these concerns. Our goal is to reach a collaborative consensus and finalize negotiations of the program. We recognize the strong interest in this program and will continue to keep you updated as we move forward.
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 doesn’t 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.
