On Monday, May 11, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met virtually 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), Kelly Hepworth (PDX), Hilary Streem (SFO), Brian Sherill (LAX pmAS), and Kanani Vallot (SAN), with MEC Hotel Committee Chairperson James Bozanich facilitating the meeting.

The Committee met with Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Manager of Crew Hotel and Administration Diane Szubert, Senior Crew Hotels Support Specialist Nichole Turner, and Crew Hotels Support Specialist LaFay Williams.

Our next monthly meeting with management is scheduled for Monday, June 8.

Topics of Discussion

• Market Sourcing: Market sourcing continues to present challenges, and we’re proactively working with Crew Hotels and API to address our needs. Both the AFA and ALPA Hotel Committees are actively monitoring this process, understanding that the options presented for site visits directly influence where our crews will ultimately be placed. We are committed to advocating for the best possible accommodations for Flight Attendants.
• Missing Hotel Hotlines (pmAS): Occasionally, Hotel Hotlines have been missing from the inflight website—most often at month’s end, when the current hotel expires and the next month’s hotline has not yet been uploaded. To address this, we’ve requested that the expiration date for the previous month’s hotline be extended to the 7th, ensuring continuity of information during the transition. Crew Hotels has indicated that updating the Hotel Hotline is an overly burdensome process and is considering eliminating it entirely. While MyTravel was introduced as a replacement, it remains a generic platform rather than being customized for each air carrier. Crew Hotels also lacks admin rights, so updates require API involvement. We’re working to make this platform more useful for Flight Attendants and have asked management to advocate for direct access for Crew Hotels. Your feedback on this process is always welcome.
• Bid Packet TBDs (pmAS): To increase transparency in layover bidding, we asked Crew Planning last year to include a “TBD” in the bid packet whenever a hotel has not yet been confirmed for the bid month. API typically has three days to assign all our crew hotels after receiving the flight schedule from Crew Planning. Because flight schedules fluctuate each month, there are times when we find ourselves in an overcapped market, where the number of rooms needed exceeds the number the hotel is required to provide under their contract. While our crew hotels can usually accommodate the extra rooms, it’s not always certain before assignments are finalized and imported into NAVBLUE. This is the primary reason you may see a TBD. We’ve also requested that Crew Hotels provide explanations for each month’s TBDs, so we can answer your questions with clarity and confidence.

Hot Topics

• FAI (pmAS): We recognize that our Fairbanks hotel has received numerous complaints this year. In response, we expedited our site visit from July to March to quickly evaluate alternative options. As many of you know, contractually compliant hotels in Fairbanks are extremely limited, and crew rooms often compete with peak tourist demand—cruise passengers in the summer and northern lights tours in the winter—making it challenging for hotels to prioritize crew business. Given these constraints, we have, for now, remained at the current crew hotel. The hotel is undergoing a rebrand and a $30 million renovation over the next four years, with work progressing during the off-season. We’re hopeful that the new brand standards will drive meaningful improvements in service, attention to detail, and infrastructure. In the meantime, we’ve asked Crew Hotels to address the most frequent concern—housekeeping. We appreciate everyone who has submitted CareCare feedback, and want you to know that the Hotel Committee reviews your experiences closely and advocates on your behalf. Thank you for your candor and engagement.
• Hotel Points: We know hotel points are important to many of you, and we’re often asked why crew rooms typically don’t earn them. Loyalty programs operated by major hotel chains—including Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt—explicitly exclude airline crew rates from earning points for room bookings, as outlined in their loyalty program terms. Crew rates are heavily discounted, directly billed, and the cost of awarding points is significant for the property. Occasionally, some hotels may allow incidental points on personal expenses, even when the room rate is not eligible. The Hotel Committee requests hotel points for Flight Attendants as a benefit at every site visit, although properties are not required to provide them. We always advocate for your interests and will continue to pursue this wherever possible.

What The Committee Is Working On

1. Conducting Hotel Site Visits: The Hotel Committee conducts site visits on hotels under consideration by management to ensure that the selected options provide the safest and most comfortable layover experience for Flight Attendants. Market reviews are triggered by factors such as contract expirations, crew complaints, and cost-saving opportunities.  

Pre-Merger Alaska: The scheduled site visits through July 2026 are:

• May: SIT, PHX, ATL
• June: OGG, RNO
• July: BZE, BWI

Pre-Merger Hawaiian: The scheduled site visits through June 2026 are:

• June: JFK

2. Hotel Gainshare Update (pmAS): There have not been any new developments in the Hotel Gainshare program since our last update.The Gainshare program negotiations are currently stalled because management is concerned about the federal tax implications. AFA International was consulted and provided a legal counterargument. We’re waiting for AFA International to coordinate with Alaska Airlines Labor Relations management on this. Our goal is to reach a consensus and finalize the program’s negotiations. We recognize that many of our Members are interested in this program, and we’re doing everything we can to make it a reality.  

We Want to Hear From You!

Our Hotel Committee relies on your feedback, whether positive or negative. Please report via CrewCare (pmAS) or the FA Crew Accommodations Feedback form (pmHA), which ensures your experience with a layover hotel or ground transportation is addressed. These are the only official way to report issues, as the Committee does not monitor social media channels.

Each CrewCare and feedback form submission is forwarded to our AFA Hotel Committee, Crew Hotels (Alaska/Hawaiian management), API, and the hotel or ground transportation provider. This ensures quick action can be taken to correct or fix the issue for the next crew member. It also allows us to monitor hotel and transportation trends. Pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants can quickly file a CrewCare report using the web app on your IMD home screen or by clicking here.Do you have any other feedback you would like to share with the Committee or any specific items you want us to bring up with management? Please let us know! Your Local Hotel Committee is here to represent you and ensure management hears your voice. You can find our contact information on the Hotel Committee page of the AFA Alaska + Hawaiian website.