This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants
On Monday, July 14, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met 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), Ila Christy (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, Manager of Crew Hotels and Administration Diane Szubert and Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett.
The next scheduled Hotel Committee meeting is Monday, August 11.
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:
- Hotel Provided Transportation: Crew Hotels is beginning to utilize hotel-provided transportation at more of our airport properties. Although this historically was the norm, private transportation became commonplace during the COVID pandemic. As we begin to transition back, we are starting to see an uptick in complaints with some of these shuttles. The complaints include waiting for pickups or the time in transit as the hotel shuttle circles around terminals. As a reminder, Flight Attendants are encouraged to report violations of contract section 34.B [Transportation] and utilize the provisions section 34.D [Transportation and Hotel Wait Times] when an issue qualifies.
- Long Stay / Short Stay Language: Securing a layover length rule for long stay/short stay properties was a significant accomplishment in our recent round of negotiations. The 15-hour cutoff works well for most of our layovers, but does pose rest challenges in a few edge cases when transportation time is factored in. This has been most noticed in ORD with our downtown property and on the cusp of long-stay layover cutoff times. The Hotel Committee will be consulting with the MEC for an exception to this layover rule when it makes sense, with the goal of creating a better quality layover experience for our Flight Attendants.
- Transportation Time Adjustments: Crew Hotels shared the third set of transportation time adjustments (time of day, day of week, holiday, etc.) that will be implemented on August 1. As previously communicated, this effort began in June and is being done due to CBA requirements for ground transportation for both AFA and ALPA. Please expect an informational bulletin about these adjustments towards the end of the month.
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. Recently completed Hotel Site Visits include RSW (June), SEA (June), OKC (June). FAT was supposed to be conducted in July but was cancelled due to a lack of layovers in the schedule, and a lack of hotel interest. In its place a site visit was conducted in ANC. A number of training hotels were also recently inspected in SEA to prepare for the future move to centralized training. Upcoming site visits for the remainder of 2025 include SLC (Sept), SAN (TBD), BNA (TBD), HNL (TBD), CUN (TBD), and SJO (TBD). 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: MEC Hotel Committee Chairperson James Bozanich, MEC President Tim Green, and MEC Vice President Brice McGee will be meeting again with Alaska management in late July to continue discussions on a Hotel Gainshare program. We are still waiting on the company to complete their research on critical components of the program’s operation. It is our hope that after our next meeting we will have a definitive answer if we can move forward with a program for our Flight Attendants.
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.
