Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2024

Inflight Service Committee

• Our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons met on May 21 to represent Flight Attendants’ interests related to catering and onboard service/sales.
• The Committee met with management to discuss and receive updates on issues and problems faced by Flight Attendants onboard.
• The Committee continues to work with management to address catering concerns and improve processes in the future. Please report catering issues through Block2Block and safety-related issues through ReportIt!

On Tuesday, May 21, our AFA Inflight Service Committee 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 Naomi Parcell (ANC), Ross DeJong (SEA), Todd Horn (PDX), Raymond Ramirez (SFO), Johanna Thomas (LAX), and Chase Vandergrift (SAN). MEC Inflight Committee Chairperson Stephanie Garnett was also present. 

The Committee met with Inflight Experience Program Manager Matthew Coder, Principal Cabin Product and Experience Manager Chris Dela Rosa, Director of Food and Beverage Mita Padhi, Manager of Food and Beverage Planning and Programs David Rodriguez, Senior Food and Beverage Product Manager Jessica Johnston, Food and Beverage Systems Manger Andrea Lockett, Director of Catering Operations Andrew Moyer, Managing Director of Guest Products Todd Traynor-Corey, Senior Product Manager of Guest Products Megan Low, Food and Beverage Planning Systems Manager Gayatri Watwe, and IT Vendor Christopher Pettigrew. 

The next scheduled Inflight Service Committee meeting is Tuesday, September 17, 2024.

Topics of Discussion

The Committee discussed several topics during internal AFA-only conversations and when meeting with management. Some of the items included:

• Packaging for Main Cabin meals, including hot meals and their labeling.
• The impact on service due to temporary product substitutions.
• Progress on updating older aircraft furnishings and current enhancements for the cabins, addressing issues with lavatory trash, and placing mirrors from the aft jump seat.
• Ensuring the safety of future coffee brewing, which included discussing modifications to the brew basket.
• Discussion with Catering Operations to ensure plans for summer ice loading are in place and that new seasonal routes are correctly catered.
• Management reported on upcoming Block2Block (B2B) updates, and glitches were discussed. The Committee received updates on B2B functions, including a new training mode, tap-to-pay issues, and screen switching for payment processing.
• Discussion and review of catering issues causing crew confusion.
• Email notifications to passengers regarding the ability to pre-order are improving the process and increasing pre-order counts.
• The overall service flow and process were discussed.

What The Committee Is Working On

1. Correct product labeling. The Committee is working with catering to ensure that meals are clearly labeled, especially the new Main Cabin hot meal options for long-haul, medium-haul, and short-haul flights.
2. Adjusting product levels. Committee Members are working with management to modify product quantities to enhance service and reduce waste.
3. Working with management on Block2Block (B2B). Committee Members have been informed that a new version of B2B will soon be available and are looking forward to pre-testing it. The Committee is actively involved in suggesting improvements.
4. Enhancing snack basket contents. Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons will work with management to update the contents.

We Want to Hear from You!

Please continue to report any catering issues or problems with onboard service using the catering feedback function in Block2Block. If you’ve experienced a safety-related issue, please submit a report through ReportIt! Your reports provide the Committee with the data needed to continue pushing management for meaningful improvements in our workplace.

Do you have other feedback for the Committee or items you’d like brought up with management? Please let us know! Your Local Inflight Service Committee is your voice to management. You can find our contact information on the Inflight Service Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.