Council 43 Update – May 10, 2026

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants

Mother’s Day has a special, personal meaning for each of us. The lifelong bonds we share with our mothers lay the foundation of our ability to love and to express compassion and empathy throughout our lives. Oftentimes, our mothers have been our best examples of self-sacrifice, strength, and resilience in our lives. Regardless of our age or status, there will always be a part of us, our inner child, that will remain connected to our mothers like no one else. We are blessed for all that our mothers have given us, and we have the good fortune to work alongside so many wonderful moms at Hawaiian Airlines. Thank you for all that you are and do – this day is for you!

Happy Mother’s Day!
Martin Gusman & Kela Chong

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Important Rules Regarding Turns

Here are a few important rules to know about operating a turn, particularly if your scheduled duty period is over 14 hours:

• Augmented Crew: In order for a crew to be scheduled over 14 hours, the crew needs to be augmented with an additional Flight Attendant, which then allows the crew to be scheduled up to 16 hours on duty. Once an augmented crew has reported for duty, they may actually work up to 18 hours. Please note that an augmented crew is not the same as an ER flight with a 10^th Flight Attendant. An ER flight with a 10^th FA for crew-to-load staffing is still a standard crew.
  
• Crew Rest Seats: In order for a crew to operate the flight as an augmented crew, designated crew rest seats or the LDMCR must be provided or be available. On the A321 the crew rest seats are 45 GHJ, and on the A330, the LDMCR is used for crew rest. If the LDMCR is not available for use, rows 45 and 46 CEG must be provided as crew rest seats. Again, without the crew rest seats or an available LDMCR the crew is treated as a standard crew.
  
• Exceeding Actual On-Duty Limits: If your turn is delayed during the day of operation, you have the option to exceed the actual on-duty limit by contacting Crew Scheduling (as provided by Section 7.F.2.b. of the contract on page 7-22). When calculating your projected duty time, be sure to use the scheduled bid packet block time (as provided by Section 7.F.2.c. of the contract on page 7-23). CrewTrac or any related scheduling app will show an updated plan time for the flight, which will often be reduced. Crew Scheduling is required to show the updated plan time, but we use scheduled bid packet block time when calculating our duty time.

LQ Premium Pay Errors

It has come to our attention that there may be a systemic problem with the way language-qualified premiums are being paid by the company. Although the premiums for Lead-qualified Flight Attendants are slightly more complicated due to the variables of the position the Flight Attendant is working and the cabin in which they are working, there are errors that cannot be explained. We are in the process of scheduling a meeting with Crew Scheduling and Crew Payroll to get this resolved as quickly as possible.

Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month – a month-long celebration that recognizes and acknowledges the history, culture, achievements and contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to American society. In recognition and celebration of AAPI month, AFA offers AAPI pins for you to proudly wear on your uniform. Ask one of your Local Officers (or email us at hnl@afahawaiian.org ) for a pin.

Council 43 Elections

This is a friendly reminder that the Alaska-Hawaiian Council 43 elections have begun. Local Council Officers will need to be elected for the term beginning on July 1, 2026, and ending on June 30, 2029, as provided by the AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws.

Voting notices with credentials to access the electronic ballot were mailed on April 30, 2026, and voting began on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. If you did not receive a voting notice and guide in the mail, please complete this Activation Code Request form to obtain a new 16-digit activation code. Once your account is reviewed by AFA Membership Services, a new single-use activation code will be sent via the balloting system to the personal email address you provide. Please note that only members in good standing will be allowed to vote in the election. You may check your membership standing by going to the AFA Membership Hub.

AFA elections are governed by procedures outlined in the Association’s Constitution & Bylaws, Article VIII and the AFA Policy Manual. For more information, please visit afacwa-elections.org.

Updated Council 43 Committee Roster

Our Council 43 Roster has been updated and moved to its new home at the Alaska-Hawaiian AFA website (afaalaska.org), and may be found on the HNL Council 43 Committee page (https://afaalaska.org/hnl/committees). Please bookmark the page for future reference. In addition you’ll find our 2025 Contract Extension as well as the 2025 SEA Domicile LOA.