AFA Alaska

Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

Click here to report an issue to AFA
Menu
  • Local Councils
    • Anchorage (Council 30)
      • Officers
      • Committees
    • Honolulu (Council 43)
    • Los Angeles (Council 18/pmAS)
      • Officers
      • Committees
      • Los Angeles (Council 47/pmHA)
        • Officers
      • Portland (Council 39)
        • Officers
        • Committees
      • San Diego (Council 15)
        • Officers
        • Committees
        • Seattle (Council 19)
          • Officers
          • Committees
        • San Francisco (Council 35)
          • Officers
          • Committees

        • More About Local Councils >>
        Close
      • Master Executive Council
        • Officers
        • Close
      • Committees
          • Air Safety, Health, & Security (ASHSC)
            • Air Quality
          • Benefits
          • Communications
          • Employee Assistance Program & Professional Standards
          • Government Affairs
          • Grievance
          • Hotel
          • Human Rights & Equity
          • Inflight Service
          • Inflight Training
          • Membership
          • Membership Engagement
          • Reserve
          • Retirement
          • Scheduling
            • Pairing Construction
            • Preferential Bidding System (PBS)
          • Uniform

        • More About Committees >>
        Close
      • Contract
          • Contract Home
            • 2025 Alaska TA2 (Ratified)
            • 2018 Alaska JCBA
            • 2020 Hawaiian Contract
            • Ask Contract Questions
          • Contract Resources
          • Alaska Contract Negotiations (2022-2025)
        • Close
      • Resources
          • What To Do If You Encounter Contaminated Cabin Air
          • Issues & Campaigns
          • Newsroom
            • AFA News Now
          • Event Calendar
          • Membership Services
          • New Members
          • About
          • Links
          Close
        • Merger
          • Joint Negotiating Committee
          • Close
        • Contact Us
        You are here: Home / Latest News / Negotiations Update February 27, 2013: Recap of S12 TA – Open Time

        Negotiations Update February 27, 2013: Recap of S12 TA – Open Time

        March 26, 2013 17:46

        Open Time Recap

        We have negotiated changes to the OT system which we believe will prevent, or greatly reduce, OT becoming bogged down by those unappealing trips (4-day GDLs, 3-day trips worth 8 TFP, etc). The new quartile system is anticipated to return some scheduling flexibility and make OT a more functioning system. Setting strict threshold numbers for the closing of OT days will also preclude management from arbitrarily closing OT days. These important changes to the OT system are explained below.

        Quartile System for OT Start

        After bid awards, OT will open based on a stepped quartile system. Flight Attendants may trade with or drop to other Flight Attendants in an opened quartile as well as interact with Open Time. On the 18th of the month prior to the bid month, all Flight Attendants have full access to trading/ dropping. Flight Attendants will have access to OT trading and dropping according to the table below:

        Day of month Quartile FAs who can trade (seniority)

        15th 1st Quartile top 25%

        16th 2nd Quartile top 50%

        17th 3rd Quartile top 75%

        18th 4th Quartile All FAs in domicile

        Formula for determining OT Closing Threshold #

        • 1 sequence departure per day for every 200 FAs in domicile. If there are at least 50 FAs “left over” after the calculation, then an additional daily sequence departure is added. (Example: 650 FAs in domicile, OT Threshold number would be 4 sequences.)
        • Minimum threshold # of 3 sequences at each domicile regardless of FA domicile population.
        • Only the day of departure will count toward the threshold number.
        • Sick calls do not count. Only FA-dropped trips and coupon drops count (these trips will be coded TR or CP in eMaestro).
        • If an Open Time day is closed, it can re-open if a FA picks up a sequence coded TR or CP on that day.
        • System adjust for growth.

         

        EXAMPLE: PDX (Threshold # = 3)

        June # of Sequences

        4th 3 closed

        5th 3 closed

        6th 2

        7th 1

        8th 3 closed

        9th 2

        10th 1

        11th 2

        12th 3 closed

        Using the above snapshot of OT, PDX FAs could drop a total of 2 trips into OT on the 7th and 10th and a total of 1 trip on the 6th, 9th, and 11th. Alternatively, if a FA picked up a TR- or CP-coded trip on the 4th, 5th, 8th or 12th, that day would re-open for give-away. Even if a day is closed, a sequence may be traded for another sequence with the same departure day regardless of trip length provided the FA has not traded more than 40 net TFP into OT.

        IMPORTANT: In order to drop a trip into OT, only the departure day of the sequence has to be open. So, in the above example, a FA could drop a 4-day on the 11th of the month, even though the 12th was closed. Also, the 3-leg restriction for trades on closed days is eliminated.

        Other important provisions:

        • OT will open on the 15th with NO closed days
        • NO pre-funding of OT

        – will create more line holders (because TFP previously used in pre-funding will be built into lines)

        – many fewer “low quality” trips will be in OT at the start

        • Straight drops into OT will be allowed (is not today) if sequence departure day is open (up to 40 TFP net into OT per FA)
        • More “higher quality” trips will be available to more junior FAs

         

        The changes in our Open Time System tentative agreement are comprehensive and sweeping. The stagnation created by the current system was untenable and could not continue. Many carriers in our industry (Hawaiian, USAirways East, American, Piedmont and American Eagle, to name some) incorporate some aspect of seniority-based trading in processing OT transactions.

        It is completely understandable that change of this significance would cause concern. However, your Negotiating Committee has not entered into this new system lightly. Countless hours of pouring through data, running through scenarios, and researching what’s out there in our industry has led us to strongly believe that this new system will benefit our Flight Attendant group as a whole.

        In solidarity,

        Your Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Tracy, Karina Cameron-Fetters, Jake Jones and AFA Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

         

        “Four Bases, One Voice”

        Print Friendly, PDF & Email

        Filed Under: Latest News, Negotiations

        Need Help?

        Have an issue or concern to report to AFA?  Click here to access the AFA Alaska online support center.

        Latest News

        • Meet Our Merged MEC Committee Chairpersons & Representatives
        • Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025
        • AFA News in Review – October 17, 2025
        • Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Election Results
        • Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results
        • U.S. Customs & Border Protection Gender Code Requirement
        • Hawaiian Brand Inflight Service Committee Update – 3rd Quarter 2025
        • AFA News in Review – October 10, 2025
        • SEA Domicile Negotiations – October 2025
        • Protecting Yourself From Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault

        Meet Our Merged MEC Committee Chairpersons & Representatives

        October 22, 2025

        We’re excited to introduce our next group of newly elected merged MEC Committee Chairpersons, who will begin their roles on November 1. These leaders are dedicated to representing the interests of our Flight Attendants as they coordinate activities across the merged committees of both airlines. They’ll work closely with the Local Committee Chairpersons from all […]

        Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025

        October 20, 2025

        On Monday, October 13, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met in person in Seattle to receive an update about current layover hotels and transportation providers and discuss concerns with management. Representing you at the meeting were Dori Marron (ANC), Jarod McNeill (SEA), Kelly Hepworth (PDX), Hilary Streem (SFO), Chris Cardenas (LAX), and Kanani Vallot […]

        Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Election Results

        October 17, 2025

        This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee positions to be elected for the upcoming MEC Officer term. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful […]

        Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results

        October 17, 2025

        During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of merged MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful consideration and deliberation, the following candidates have been elected: MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee […]

        U.S. Customs & Border Protection Gender Code Requirement

        October 15, 2025

        Recently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced changes to the rules surrounding how airlines report information about passengers and crew before flights. This system is called the Advance Passenger Information System, or APIS. These changes are in response to a Presidential Executive Order. What is APIS? APIS is a system that airlines are legally […]

        Recent Posts

        • Meet Our Merged MEC Committee Chairpersons & Representatives
        • Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025
        • AFA News in Review – October 17, 2025
        • Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Election Results
        • Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results
        • U.S. Customs & Border Protection Gender Code Requirement
        • Hawaiian Brand Inflight Service Committee Update – 3rd Quarter 2025
        • AFA News in Review – October 10, 2025
        • SEA Domicile Negotiations – October 2025
        • Protecting Yourself From Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault
        • Government Affairs Committee Update – 4th Quarter 2025
        • Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2025
        • AFA News in Review – October 3, 2025
        • Joint Contract Negotiations Session 7 – September 2025
        • Refreshed Inflight Mobile Device (IMD) Distribution

        Local Councils

        • Anchorage
        • Honolulu
        • Los Angeles (pre-merger Alaska)
        • Los Angeles (pre-merger Hawaiian)
        • Portland
        • San Diego
        • San Francisco
        • Seattle

        Master Executive Council

        • MEC

        Negotiations

        • Contract 2022 Home
        • Negotiations News
        • TA2 Information

        Contract

        • Contract Home

        Committees

        • Air Safety, Health, & Security
        • Benefits
        • Communications
        • EAP/Professional Standards
        • Government Affairs
        • Grievance
        • Hotel
        • Human Rights
        • Inflight Service
        • Mobilization
        • Reserve
        • Retirement
        • Scheduling
        • Uniform

        News By Month

        News By Category

        AFA News Now Air Quality Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) AS/HA Merger AS/VX Merger Benefits Committee Committees Communications Committee Contract Contract 2014 Negotiations Blog Council 15 SAN Council 18 LAX Council 19 SEA Council 30 ANC Council 35 SFO Council 39 PDX EAP/Professional Standards Committee Extension 2021 Blog Featured Government Affairs Committee Grievance Committee Hotel Committee Human Rights & Equity Committee Industry News Inflight Service Committee Inflight Training Committee JNC Blog Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Latest News Local Councils Master Executive Council (MEC) Membership Committee Membership Engagement Committee Message from the MEC President Mobilization Committee Negotiations Pairing Construction Preferential Bidding System (PBS) Press Releases Reserve Committee Retirement Committee Scheduling Committee Uniform Committee
        • Email
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • YouTube

        Want To Stay In The Loop?

        Stay up-to-date on AFA Alaska news and information by signing up for our email and text message updates. Click a button below to get started or update your preferences if you're already a subscriber.
        Sign Up for Emails
        Sign Up for Text Updates

        Connect With AFA

        • Contact Us
        • Online Support Center
        • AFA International
        • CWA
        • AFA Alaska Social Media Guidelines
        • AFA-CWA Mutual Respect Policy

        Copyright © 2013-2025 Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO