Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – December 2024

Scheduling Committee

• On December 17, our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work representing Flight Attendants’ interests in lineholder scheduling.
• The Committee met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems Flight Attendants face with scheduling, pairings, and bidding.
• Your Local Scheduling Committee is available to assist with any lineholder scheduling-related issues. Don’t hesitate to reach out for help!

On Tuesday, December 17, 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), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Kanako Yamado (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). Also present were MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, and MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—PBS Virginia Fritz. 

The committee met with Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Manager of Crew Planning Jeffery Hunt, Manager of Product Management Lilah Behrend, Inflight Crew Scheduling Supervisor Matthew Trujillo, Manager of Crew Pay Debbie Bakke, and other management representatives from Crew Planning and Crew Scheduling.

The Committee is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.

Topics of Discussion

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

Scheduling Committee Concerns

• Crew Scheduling Hold Times. Discussion focused on updating and providing communication protocols to Flight Attendants when experiencing extended hold periods over the phone. The agreement is to maintain normal contact unless a different approach is agreed upon.
• COVID Protections. It’s confirmed that COVID protections remain in effect for offline commuting. Review the LOAs still in effect.
• End-of-Year AFA Alaska Support Center Tickets. To ensure all open issues are settled, an emphasis was placed on the urgency of resolving and closing out end-of-year ticketing issues.
• Ground Staff Widebody Aircraft Training Concerns. Significant concerns exist regarding the upcoming introduction of a widebody Hawaiian Airlines aircraft to ANC operations. Staff are currently untrained on this aircraft type, raising questions about operational logistics and potential reductions in Hawaii flying. More information on this situation is critical as spring approaches.
• Daylight Savings Review. There was a discussion about the confusion surrounding crew reporting times during the daylight savings transition. A recent social media post indicates a need for clarity in communication.
• Charter Issues. The denial of base turns for charters was raised, alongside a commitment from scheduling to provide necessary training. Concerns were also expressed regarding the limitation of one charter bid per day, with options to add a charter as a base turn if flying is non-charter.
• Transportation Delays. Significant issues with crew transportation in LIR were highlighted, including long wait times for transport to hotels. This has led to discussions about changing hotel arrangements to improve the situation.
• Crew Access. A need for improved notification systems for out-of-base trips was voiced; there is a current bug that sometimes doesn’t prompt the Flight Attendant when picking up a trip out of their home domicile.
• Redeye Flight Loss. Crew members expressed frustration over losing redeye flights to the East Coast, noting management’s lack of timely communication regarding schedule changes. They are only learning about changes through bid packets, which is not ideal.
• Van Delays. There were reports of delays in getting crews to hotels after flights, with a suggestion that communication could have been faster. Crews found themselves waiting at the airport instead of being transported to their accommodations. Reminder to file feedback reports with API for all hotel and transportation issues. This falls under the scope of the Hotel Committee, and they need more visibility into these concerns. 
• Uber Coordination. Issues with Uber transportation at JFK were discussed, highlighting the inconvenience of being assigned to distant pick-up zones without prior notice. This created long walks for crew members and significant wait times.
• Personal Drops. A grievance regarding personal drop policies will be filed soon, with expectations that the resolution process could take several months.

PBS

• Bidding & Awards. January’s bidding process was described as busy yet inconsistent, with high coverage levels leading to challenges in securing legal runs while also managing reserves. 
• Upcoming Meetings. Several meetings are scheduled, including a discussion with NAVBLUE and a meeting planned to address the separation of pilots and Flight Attendants on NAVBLUE systems in 2025.
• Future Releases. No further updates have been provided beyond the 25.1 release, indicating a stable but unchanging landscape for now.

Pairing Construction

• February Planning. As the group prepares for pairing construction for February, they are seeking more information on flight schedules, particularly with the hope of reviewing outbound and inbound flights for better operational awareness.

Crew Planning

• Transportation Adjustments. Flight timing for LIR to LAX has been adjusted due to past cancellations tied to customs timing. The new location for crews is being considered to avoid long transport times.
• Staffing Updates. The committee reviewed the status of staffing leaves (approximately 380), projecting crew awards and establishing a plan to open bids shortly, along with ensuring base numbers of availability are communicated clearly.

Crew Scheduling

• Absence Rates. An upward trend in absence rates was noted, with sick leave calls increasing. The committee is monitoring these trends closely as they could affect overall operations and flexibility.
• Premium Pay. There was a review of premium pay structures for December, which have been implemented to assist with operational needs, especially during high absence periods on the weekend.

Flight Attendant Crew Pay

• Flight Attendant Crew Pay Inquiries. A high volume of resolved queries regarding Flight Attendants’ pay was reported, with a focus on enhancing the clarity of the claims process and ensuring Flight Attendants have access to necessary information for filing claims.

What The Committee Is Working On

1. NAVBLUE. The PBS Subcommittee is seeking feedback on how they can improve their assistance to flight crews regarding bid awards and understanding results. They provided both in-person and virtual meetings for this purpose. The PBS Subcommittee is working with management on PBS base sit budgets.  Management has the committee keep track of how money is being spent to assist flight crews with their bidding. We appreciate your participation in virtual and in person base sits. 
2. Pairings Survey. There is a discussion of reviewing bidding data from NAVBLUE to see what kind of pairings Flight Attendants are interested in flying instead of sending out a survey. We will continue to review options. 
3. Chime Communications. To reduce phone call volumes, Flight Attendants may soon be able to chat with Crew Scheduling via app/Microsoft Teams. The chat will be for Flight Attendant-initiated contact only. The function is currently in the early stages of development and still needs to be discussed with Labor Relations management and our MEC. Testing and implementation are continuing over the next few weeks. We are working on a letter of agreement for implementation, which is still pending review. 
4. 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.
5. Crew Planning. Like Crew Scheduling, there was a monthly review of PowerPoint presentations that covered subsequent month staffing, trip length distribution, Flight Attendant block hours, special initiatives (e.g., IROPs), commutability, and other relevant agenda items. Statistics around teaming continue to be reviewed. Crew Planning continues to maximize pairing construction and optimizing teaming strategies to minimize costs and ensure that crews (Flight Attendants) can stay together for multiple segments.
6. ITS. Representatives from ITS joined the scheduling meeting to provide updates on NAVBLUE, Crew Access, internal systems, and Block2Block. These updates include performance reviews, data analysis, and information about future releases. 

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.