As promised here is the full TA language for 4K pairings. It is contained in Section 10 [Scheduling]
Section 10.DD. LONG STAGE LENGTH (“4K”) DUTY PERIOD
1. At the Flight Attendant’s option, s/he may preference and may be awarded a sequence with one (1) or more Long Stage Length Duty Period(s), as defined in Section 5 [Definitions].
2. Crew Planning may construct Long Stage Length Duty Periods under the following parameters:
a. Two leg maximum in the duty period.
b. The scheduled sit time will not exceed seventy (:70) minutes.
c. Must depart from and return to the same domicile.
d. The Long Stage Length Duty Period will exceed ten hours and thirty minutes (10:30) but cannot exceed four-thousand (4,000) statute miles (i.e. two-thousand (2,000) statute miles per leg or four-thousand (4,000) statute miles roundtrip).
e. Crew Planning must consult with the Association Scheduling Chair on a monthly basis and during pairing construction for specific sequence selection.
f. The Long Stage Length Duty Period provided for in this Section may be built into a multi-day sequence; however, the exceptions to Section 8.E. [Duty Period] will only apply to the duty period that contains the Long Stage Length Duty Period.
g. Sequences containing Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) will be identified and placed into PBS for bid. In no circumstances will a Flight Attendant be awarded a sequence containing a Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) via PBS unless s/he has indicated a preference for or has specifically bid for those sequences.
3. A maximum of ninety percent (90%) of the total domicile departures of Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) will be built out of any single domicile for each bid month.
4. A minimum of ten percent (10%) of the total domicile departures of Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) will be built and rotated on a month-by-month basis throughout the remaining domiciles for each bid month.
5. Sequences containing a Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) may be offered as Premium OT with a minimum one and one-half times (1.5x) premium.
6. Automated trading of a Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) will be processed through E-maestro or a successor system.
7. Reserve Flight Attendants who self assign into a Long Stage Length Duty Period will be considered to have opted into the sequence.
8. A Flight Attendant who is awarded or accepts a sequence containing a Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) of twelve hours and thirty minutes (12:30) or less will not be deemed to have waived the crew rest provision in Section 8.M. [Domicile Rest]
9. Crew Scheduling may create or adjust sequence(s) that contain a “4k” duty period only if the “4k” duty period was in published pairing originally built by Crew Planning and due to irregular operations (including crew shortage) needs to be staffed.
10. If there is an open position(s) on “4k” sequence(s) and it is more than three (3) hours prior to departure the following will apply:
a. The “4k” sequence must be placed into OT per Section 12.E.1. [Open Time…].
b. Crew Scheduling may reconfigure a “4k” sequence consistent with Section 8.E. [Duty Period] to make all duty periods equal to or less than ten hours and thirty minutes (10:30) prior to assignment. If such reconfiguration occurs, the surviving legal sequence is no longer considered a “4k” sequence.
c. Crew Scheduling may offer a “4k” sequence to a Reserve and must inform the Reserve that the sequence contains a “4k” duty period(s). S/he is not required to accept the sequence. If the Reserve declines the offer, the next Reserve in LTFA order may be offered the “4k” sequence under the same conditions of this provision. The process may be repeated until all available Reserves are exhausted.
11. If there is an open position(s) on “4k” sequence(s) and it is three (3) hours or less prior to departure the following apply:
a. Crew Scheduling may offer the “4k” sequence to a Lineholder as a reassignment at check-in consistent with 10.R. [Reassignment(s)]. Crew Scheduling must inform the Lineholder that the sequence contains a “4k” duty period. S/he is not required to accept the assignment. If a Flight Attendant accepts the “4k” sequence as a reassignment all provisions of 10.R. [Reassignments] will apply. If the Lineholder declines the offer, the next eligible Lineholder in seniority order may be offered the “4k” sequence under the same conditions of this provision. The process may be repeated until all available Lineholders are exhausted consistent with 10.R. [Reassignments].
b. A Reserve may opt into a “4k” sequence by preferencing it on the LTFA. Crew Scheduling may bypass the order of assignment to assign a “4k” sequence to a Reserve who has preferenced “4k”. A Reserve who preferences “4k”, then subsequently receives a “4k” assignment, must accept the sequence. If a Reserve preferences a “4k’ sequence the premium in 11.c., below, will not apply for involuntary “4k” assignment will apply.
c. Crew Scheduling may involuntarily assign a “4k” sequence to a Reserve. The Reserve will be paid one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate for the entire sequence of which one times (1.0x) the trip rate will be credited toward the Reserve’s guarantee and one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above the guarantee.
12. Lineholders will not be required to accept or be reassigned to a “4k” sequence.
13. A sequence containing a Long Stage Length Duty Period may not be assigned as a JA.
Section 5 Definition:
Long Stage Length (“4k”) Duty Period: A duty period containing a two (2) leg maximum; a scheduled sit time not exceeding seventy (:70) minutes; departs from and returns to the same domicile; and the duty day exceeding ten hours and thirty minutes (10:30) cannot exceed four-thousand (4,000) statute miles.
William Sandell says
Are there any protections with overnight rules that would prevent pairings being built with long stage length all-nighter turns? Current examples might be the SEA-ORD or SEA-DFW all-nighter turns? The “back-of-the -clock” MEX/GDL all-nighters are already hard enough to staff as it is (a very different beast from the SEA-ANC/FAI all-nighters).
Jeffrey Peterson (MEC President) says
No protections in the sense you are asking. That is, if there were all-nighter flying to ORD or DFW then the Company could build all-nighter 4k pairings including those destinations. However, the NC did negotiate that there would be two different “instruction” commands in PBS to opt into the 4k pairings: ‘4k’ and ‘4k night flying.’ We knew that F/As may view 4k night flying as very different than doing it during the day so if a F/A is willing to do daytime flying only, then s/he needs to use only the 4k opt in and will be protected from being forced to fly 4k nighters. If a F/A is willing to take both then opt into both. If neither is used then by default F/As cannot be forced to fly 4k trips.
Chet Anguiano says
I don’t like that we even addressing the allowance of opting into a longer duty day.
9. Crew Scheduling may create or adjust sequence(s) that contain a “4k” duty period only if the “4k” duty period was in published pairing originally built by Crew Planning and due to irregular operations (including crew shortage) needs to be staffed.
Jake Jones (SEA LEC Vice President/Negotiating Committee Member) says
An example of why this provision is required is a 4k pairing is originating out of ANC. ANC-JNU-SEA is the first day of flying, SEA-DTW-SEA is day two, SEA-ANC is day 3. When the Flight Attendants arrive in JNU they are required to remain overnight due to weather and are unable to continue to fly their original sequence. The provision above allows Crew Scheduling to adjust the sequence because the ANC crew is no longer available due to irregular operations. However, the protection is that the sequence must be originally scheduled and published. If there was a DTW layover and the pairing was published as a 2 day trip, Crew Scheduling may not arbitrarily remove the 2 day layover and build into a DTW turn (it must be a original published 4k pairing).