Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – April 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

On Tuesday, April 22, our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons/Representatives met to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Kanako Yamado (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). Also present were MEC Hotel Committee Chairperson James Bozanich, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—PBS Virginia Fritz, and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones. 

The committee met with Managing Director of Operations Staffing and Resource Management Brittany Audette, Director Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Inflight Crew Scheduling Supervisor Matthew Trujillo, Manager of Crew Pay Debbie Bakke, Crew Hotels Specialist Nichole Turner, Manager Flight Crew Systems Support Sue Rawlings and other management representatives from Crew Planning and Crew Scheduling.

The Committee is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday, May 27.

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed several topics during internal AFA-only conversations and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:

Local Scheduling Issues

• Crew Access Open Time Issues: Problems regarding Open Time in Crew Access have been noted and added to ADR 018-025A for further review and resolution.
• SAL Projections: Based on the Crew Planning pairing construction data, June projections indicate a staffing level reduction of 201.
• Training Updates: The Training Department confirmed that Class 6 for new hires has been canceled. The last training class of the year is scheduled to start on Monday.
• Growth Initiatives: As reported by Network Planning, SAN domicile growth is projected in Phoenix (PHX), Denver (DEN), and Chicago O’Hare (ORD), indicating expansion in operational capacity.
• Retiming Issues: On the SAN/DCA route, some Flight Attendants were compensated 1.5x for retimed duties if they flew the affected leg. Payroll will meet on April 23, 2025, to discuss these payments and other payroll issues.
• Disputed Pay Issues: There is an ongoing dispute regarding a Flight Attendant who worked over their duty time and is now facing issues with day-off pyramid pay (ADR agenda item 019-25A).
• Seasonal Flying: As indicated by the Network Planning department, seasonal flying operations are set to return, which may impact scheduling and staffing needs.
• Premium Pickup Availability: Crew Scheduling reports that premium trips are currently available for pickup, helping to address staffing shortages for month-end overlap. Anchorage is the primary concern, but other domiciles should also see a premium. Crew Scheduling is urging FAs to pick up premium shifts to mitigate shortages.
• Operational Changes: When operations change departure times, queries have arisen regarding the record-keeping process. Crew Scheduling and Station management need to follow up to clarify the process from the CSA perspective.

PBS Update

• Bidding Overview: Bidding has been steady in May, with a focus on all California bases maintaining consistent staffing levels.
• Bid Awards and Protests: Quick bid awards were granted in May, with efforts to focus on only essential reserve needs rather than spreading excess reserves. A few protests were honored, including a unique case concerning Buddy Bidding where discrepancies arose between submitted screenshots and recorded submissions.
• Meetings: A Navblue call was held on April 3, 2025, during which it was confirmed that pilots and Flight Attendants will officially split upon taking a new release. Updates related to Change Requests (CRs) concerning TA2 were requested. On April 10, 2025, a meeting addressed bugs in version 25.1, highlighting that the offline bid function was not operating as expected. The committee reiterated its previous offer to assist in testing and preventing further bugs.
• Testing Updates: Version 25.1 is currently available for testing, with significant changes, including improvements to offline mode and password resets. A new bug related to printing has been identified, and a workaround has been suggested for iPhone users.
• Base Sits Engagement: Base sits engagement levels in April were variable compared to previous years, prompting discussions on strategies to improve participation and communication with bases.

ITS Update

• Testing Progress: As of April 22, 2025, the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for PBS 25.1 is ongoing, with no new test cases added.
• TFP Calculators: The ITS team is working on TFP calculators due to new requirements in the CBA.
• Trade Analysis: A total of 82,507 trades were analyzed in April, with 98% of trades receiving responses in less than 10 seconds, while 1.4% took longer than 10 seconds. April trade volume was higher compared to March.
• Operational Updates: The JCTE release is being tested for version 9.1 MR21. Ground transport and limos will include one TFP and a manual process will be in place until full integration is achieved. Boarding pay testing is expected by May 5, and updates are scheduled for the next release.
• Payroll Update
• Monthly Comparison: A comparison of payroll queries indicates a rise from 1,052 in March to 1,437 in April. Flight Attendants are transitioning from general pay categories to other TFP categories, with 821 classified as non-applicable.
• Drug Testing Payment: Clarifications on the payment processes for drug testing reveal that Flight Attendants must wait for their paychecks to confirm payments. If there are any discrepancies, the drug testing group needs to be contacted directly. Payments are generated from a file managed by drug abatement and accounting payroll.
• City Pair Review: Debbie Bakke (Manager, Payroll) and Matthew Trujillo (Supervisor, Crew Scheduling) connected regarding a bulletin that requires a pay annotation from scheduling. Payroll has reviewed specific city pair issues.

Crew Planning Update

• Block Hours: Block hours are projected to increase during the summer months of April, May, and June. June is expected to see block hours reach 337,079, although there has been a decrease in SFO.
• Reserve Utilization: The average TFP line is projected at 77.5 in June, with 20.3% reserves. Individual bases show varying reserve percentages, with Seattle at 23% due to improved flying recovery options.
• Staffing Adjustments Leaves: Plans are in place for 201 staffing adjustments leaves, with the potential to award more positions. The closing date for adjustments is the first of each month.
• Irregular Operations Mitigation Efforts: Construction projects at SAN include adding 19 new gates and resurfacing tarmacs. The airport project is scheduled to continue through 2028 and will affect transcontinental departures.
• Hotel and API Concerns: An API quarterly meeting is set to review hotel accommodations and ad hoc lists, especially in preparation for training hotels slated for 2026. During Easter week, there were concerns about hotel relocations impacting Flight Attendants, particularly in FLL and PVR. As a reminder, please continue to fill out CrewCare reports for all hotel and transportation issues. They are vital to our success in advocating for changes and accountability. 

Crew Scheduling Update

• Sick Leave Statistics: Overall sick leave for the month is 9.5%, a decrease from 12.9% in April 2024. Increases were noted in ANC and LAX, while SFO saw a reduction.
• Reserve Sick Leave: Reserve sick leave stands at 7.2%, down significantly from 11.4% in the previous year.
• Absence Statistics: 4,385 absences were recorded across the system for April.
• Premium and Personal Drops: Premium TFP postings included 9,765 in February, 9,222 in March, and 2,830 month-to-date in April. Personal drops (PDs) totaled 175 for April month-to-date, compared to 301 PDs and bulletin board drops in March.
• Upcoming CBA Changes: Implementation timelines for various contractual changes are in progress. Key upcoming changes include state sick leave effective May 1, PPP restructuring in June, and additional vacation and uniform allotment increases in the fourth quarter of 2025.
• Deadhead Process Improvements: Ongoing efforts with TSA are addressing challenges related to deadhead processes. Flight Attendants are experiencing difficulties with check-in procedures; compliance issues are under review, and updates will be provided later in the week.

What The Committee Is Working On

1. NAVBLUE. The PBS Subcommittee preparing for a new release of NAVBLUE. Once received they will test before the release is implemented. The Committee is also continuing to provide in person and virtual base sits so that all flight attendants may attend and get answers to all PBS bidding related questions.
2. Crew Scheduling. A monthly review of PowerPoint presentations covered various aspects such as reserve utilization, detailed breakdowns, sick leave (week by week and year over year), premium, personal drops, and other relevant agenda items.
3. Crew Planning. Crew Planning shared a monthly presentation about Pairing Statistics. Crew Planning is focused on anticipating increased block hours as the summer season approaches, with specific strategies to optimize trip lengths and identify commutability for flight crews. The team is also collaborating with operational analytics to develop dashboards that facilitate better decision-making and efficiency in scheduling.
4. Crew Pay. Crew pay is working on additional communications aimed at improving clarity and addressing the high volume of queries surrounding pay discrepancies. The payroll team is committed to resolving ongoing issues quickly to ensure crew members receive their compensation accurately and on time.
5. AFA Payroll Representative. The Committee has been advocating for a streamlined process to resolve outstanding pay issues for crew members efficiently. The focus is on ensuring timely compensation and improved communication.

We Want to Hear From You!

Whether you have feedback for the Committee, concerns to share, or items you’d like brought up with management – don’t hesitate to let us know. Your Local Scheduling Committee is here to be your voice to management. You can easily open a support ticket on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or directly contact us using the information provided on the Scheduling Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.