Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – November 2024

Scheduling Committee

• On November 19, 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, November 19, 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 Yamada (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 Interim Managing Director Inflight Operations & Crew Scheduling Sara Cook, Managing Director Ops Staffing & Resource Management Brittany Audette, Managing Director of Crew Staffing Nicholas Giles, Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Senior Manager of Product Management Rick Mitchell, Manager of Inflight Scheduling (Training/ Policy Procedures) Interim Matthew Trujillo, Manager of Crew Planning Jeffery Hunt, 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, December 17, 2024.

Topics of Discussion

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

Local Committee Chairperson Discussion

• Open AFA Alaska Online Support Center Tickets. Three open tickets regarding sit pay with deadhead release were denied by payroll. Further collaboration with MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative Kiara Jenkins is planned for review.
• Hawaiian Airlines (HA) Route Adjustments. Request for an executive summary on HA flying route adjustments for 2025.
• Change in Flying Schedules. Inquiry regarding the timeline for changes to flying schedules in PDX and other domiciles.
• Staffing Adjustment Leaves (SAL). Notification of 250 SALs available for 30 days.
• 4k Error Inquiry. Flight Attendants are requesting clarification on the 4k error and its implications.
• Daylight Savings Impact. Issues arose concerning reporting times during the night of daylight savings, leading to an extra hour wait for some flights. An email review with Crew Scheduling is to follow.
• Complaints About Hawaii Flying. Feedback from Flight Attendants about reduced block hours and seasonal flying; concerns over missing standard flying patterns from previous years.
• Storm Impacts. Ongoing storms are affecting crews flying to LIR/SJO, leading to diversions and strandings.
• Sick Leave Miscommunication. Clarification regarding sick leave balances in Rainmaker and discrepancies in the 2011 bulletin is needed.
• Jetbridge Swap Incident. Report of a late arrival to the plane under 32.C.16.
• Open Time (OT) Trading. No AFA Alaska Online Support Center tickets reported system issues on Open Time trading for November drops in December.
• ADR Update. Update required on previous OT tickets.
• Vacation Direct Trade Testing. Testing in progress for vacation direct trades with OT in cases of incorrect PS number entry.
• Flight Cancellations. Crew listed as ST (sick transport) instead of deadhead; this is the proper listing and pay will be reconciled. 
• Pay Flow Chart Proposal. AFA officers expressed interest in developing a pay flow chart to clarify minimum pay rules.

PBS Subcommittee Report

• Bidding for December. High activity with numerous inquiries on bid preparation for coverage.
• Bid Awards. Notable coverage increase in California despite improved stack heights.
• Bid Protests. Increased protests due to complex coverage awards.
• Upcoming Meetings. Meetings will be held with IT regarding changes and updates to the PBS system.
• Future Releases. Confirmation of 25.1 as the next release with no additional updates anticipated.

Pairing Construction Subcommittee Report

• C Solution for December. Chosen pairing solution; issues noted with 4k redeye trips.
• Crew Planning Participation. Collaboration with AFA at the Jeppesen Connection Conference provided valuable insights.
• Impact of Network Planning. Discussed how ongoing changes in flights and trips are being adjusted based on passenger demand and route planning.

MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson Report

• New Class Launch. A new class will begin in PDX/LAX on December 1, 2024, with no significant hiring changes for 2025.
• PPP Concerns. Issues were raised regarding the distribution of the PPP for mid-month hires.

Information Technology Systems (ITS) Report

• Updates. Testing for the software version 24.5 release is in progress; upcoming releases are scheduled for early 2025.

Crew Planning Report

• 4k Redeye Issues. Noted problems with illegal ground times; a quality checklist for pairings is being implemented to prevent future occurrences.
• Staffing Updates. Ongoing discussions about staffing and budget planning for 2025 amidst operational changes.

Crew Scheduling Report

• Sick Leave Trends. Current trends show decreased sick leave use, with stable rates for lineholders and reserves.
• Fatigue Monitoring. Low fatigue levels were reported this month; new temp supervisors to enhance scheduling support.

Crew Pay Report

• Pay Queries Review. A decrease in pay queries was noted, with ongoing efforts to improve efficiency in handling pay-related issues.

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.