Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – January 2024

Scheduling Committee

• On January 23, 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, January 23, our AFA Scheduling 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 Heather Reier (ANC), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Kamako Yamado (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). Also present were 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 Inflight Operations & Crew Scheduling Allen Thieman, Director of Crew Scheduling Sara Cook, Manager of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, and other management representatives from Crew Planning/Crew Scheduling.

The Committee is next scheduled to meet on February 20, 2024.

Topics of Discussion

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

JCTE Update

• Release 23.5 was released in prod, 23.7 is in UAT.
• Trades: 92.1% of 57,580 trades had a response time of less than 10 seconds.
• JCTE release coming in February.

Block2Block (B2B)

• Version 2.5 is in progress.
• Tap to pay feature.

Crew Planning Update

• March block hours increased by almost 19k compared to February.
• Staffing adjustment leaves offered for March: 173.
• Reserve staffing: Bases around 17% except Seattle around 20%.
• Review of trip length distribution, consistent with previous months.
• Commutability in March: SEA/ANC have the best commutability, LAX and PDX are the most challenging.

Teaming And IROP Mitigation

• Teaming FAs together and with pilots helped minimize cancellations.
• In and backs strategically scheduled to assist with recovery of cancellations.
• Teaming is not being used in spring/summer as the cost is too great. 

MAX Cancellations And Advanced Bookings

• MAX cancellations ongoing, no adjustments made for March pairing selection. 

Updates From Crew Scheduling Management

• Reserve utilization in January around 77%.
• Breakdown of reserve usage: 48% covering line holder sick trips, 15.9% reserve absences, 22% unused.
• Inflight YOY absence rate trending up, LAX/SAN trending down by domicile.
• Premium not issued since MAX fleet grounded, FAs picking up trips to cover operation.
• Flexibility impacted by unknown factors, no increases in TSN.
• Personal drops: 90 in January, 7 Bulletin board drops.

PDX SWGCO And Crew Scheduling

• 26 FAs couldn’t get to work and have FNS, each case will be reviewed.
• Efforts made for process improvement, high hold times during pre-cancellations.

Layover And Transportation Issues

• LAX crew had issues getting back to the hotel, will review and try to accommodate crews closer.
• Issues with single transportation and long wait times in CUN/GDL, to be reviewed by Crew Planning.
• Confusion about layovers at domicile vs hotels being provided prior to trips, clarification needed.

Withholding Trips, Pre-Cancellations, And FNS

• Trips withheld from OT, efforts to address the issue and ensure compliance.
• Discussion on pre-cancellation processes and FCR footprint, modifications planned.
• We are seeing an Increased number of FNS, clarification needed on contactability and communication procedures.

CHS-RDU Limo Times

• Request to review extensively long limo times in all locations. 

What the Committee is Working on

1. NavBlue. The PBS Committee 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. There are dates and times scheduled February 2024 for in person and virtual meetings to assist with bidding. 
2. Pairings Survey. There is a discussion about conducting a survey on pairing construction, and there is a possibility of organizing a virtual session or town hall. A meeting with management occurred June 5, 2023, with a follow-up meeting to be arranged. However, there is no update or estimated time of arrival (ETA) at the moment.
3. Teaming. Crew Planning is currently reviewing pairing construction and optimizing teaming strategies to minimize costs and ensure that crews (pilots and Flight Attendants) can stay together for multiple segments. Currently, the system teams around 10-15% of crews, but enhancements were made to increase this to 20-35% for winter operations. The changes were reflected in December pairings. Management provided communication regarding teaming. In December 2023, approximately 23% of sequences were teamed together, while 52% of duty periods were teamed. We didn’t receive any teaming information for January during the meeting today. For March 2024 pairing selection we did not utilize teaming.  
4. Chime Communications. Flight Attendants may chat with crew scheduling via app/Microsoft Teams to reduce phone calls. Flight Attendant-initiated contact. Early stages of development, to be discussed with AS Labor Relations and AFA. Testing and implementation to occur in the next few weeks. We are working on a letter of agreement for implementation. This is still pending review. 
5. Crew Scheduling. There was a monthly review of PowerPoint presentations that 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.
6. Crew Planning. Similar to Crew Scheduling, there was a monthly review of PowerPoint presentations that cover subsequent month staffing, trip length distribution, Flight Attendant block hours, special initiatives (e.g., IROPs), commutability, and other relevant agenda items.
7. ITS. Representatives from ITS joined the scheduling meeting to provide updates on NavBlue, Crew Access, internal systems, and Block 2 Block. 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.