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Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2024

Hotel Committee

  • On September 12, our AFA Hotel Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to protect and improve the quality of hotel accommodations and ground transportation providers for Flight Attendants.
  • The Committee met with management and representatives from the company’s crew accommodations vendor to discuss current trends and concerns regarding layover hotels and transportation.
  • If you encounter problems or have positive feedback about hotels or transportation, please report it through the feedback function in the MyCrewCare app. Your feedback is crucial as it provides the Committee with essential data to support keeping high-quality hotels and push for change when conditions are unacceptable.

On Thursday, September 12, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met 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), Virginia Fritz (SFO), and Chris Cardenas (LAX), with MEC Hotel Committee Chairperson James Bozanich also present.

The committee met with Crew Hotels & Administration Manager Nichole Turner, Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Managing Director of Operations Staffing & Resource Management Brittany Audette, and Managing Director Inflight Ops South (LAX, SAN, & SFO) & Crew Scheduling Allen Thieman from management. Representatives from the Company’s crew accommodations vendor, Accommodations Plus International (API), hosted the meeting.

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed several items during the meeting with management and API. Much of the conversation during these Quarterly Business Reviews focuses on financials and the state of the hotel industry. Some items discussed include:

  • MyCrewCare App Features
    • “News” tab in layover city
    • Tweaking of the crew feedback prompts to make them more user friendly so that feedback can be obtained
  • API Process Improvements
    • Phone systems migrating to the cloud for better workflow
    • JetRFP – will be programmed to allow a hotel to bid on a block of business if they are unable to accommodate the full rooms per night request. Will potentially allow for more hotel options for crew accommodation
  • Request to improve the timelines when it comes to placing crew hotel information into the bid packets and Crew Access.
  • Crew complaints and transportation issues
  • Concerns surrounding the utilization of rideshares (Uber/Lyft)
  • Unpaid hotel incidentals – reminder for crews to settle their hotel incidentals before checkout

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Ad Hoc list review. Our crew hotels have been inspected, endorsed and are contracted properties. Occasionally crews need to be relocated for various reasons, such as known hotel blackout dates, planned property maintenance, fire alarm testing, irregular operations, etc. When our contracted properties cannot take the usage, Crew Hotels and API reference the ad hoc list for alternate accommodations. The Hotel Committee reviews this list periodically to ensure the properties listed still meet our standards.
  2. Conducting hotel site visits. The Hotel Committee visits hotels that are under consideration by management, and we advocate for management to select hotels that will provide the safest and most comfortable layover experience for Flight Attendants. By the end of 2024, your Hotel Committee will have conducted site visits in 32 cities. For 2025, there are 40 markets that will be reviewed. Contract expirations, crew complaints and cost saving opportunities are the primary drivers that trigger a market review. Depending on the outcome of the market review, a site visit may be scheduled in that city.
  3. Investigating MyFeedback (CrewCare) reports. Reviewing crewmember feedback and working to hold hotel and transportation providers accountable through management and API. Your direct feedback fixes problems, and it’s the documentation we need to support the decisions to remain where we are or to advocate for a hotel change or ground transpiration change.

We Want to Hear From You!

Don’t let any unacceptable experience with a layover hotel or ground transportation provider go unnoticed! Please report the issue via CrewCare so that it can be addressed. CrewCare is the only official way to report issues, as the Hotel Committee does not monitor social media channels.

Each CrewCare submission is forwarded to your AFA Hotel Committee, Crew Hotels (AS), API and the hotel or ground transportation provider. This ensures quick action can be taken to correct the issue or fix it for the next crewmember. It also allows us to monitor hotel and transportation trends. You 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! The 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 website.

Human Rights Committee Update – 3rd Quarter 2024

Human Rights Committee

  • Our AFA Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met on Friday, August 30, to discuss their ongoing program of work to advance human rights within our workplace and community.
  • The Committee also met with management to receive updates on what progress has been made on concerns that had been previously brought forward and address new concerns that have come to light. 
  • If you have ideas, thoughts, or feedback for the committee, your Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson would love to hear from you!

On Friday, August 30, our AFA Local Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to build awareness and effect change within our workplace and community. Representing you at the meeting were Erika Daniel (SAN), Louise Borras (LAX), Aaron Miller (PDX). Also present was MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson Chip Hestle II.

The committee met with Seattle Director of Inflight Base Operations Jenny Bookert and VP Inflight Matt Prainito.

The committee is next scheduled to meet with management on Monday, November 18, 2024. 

Topics of Discussion

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

  • Discussions of Sept & Oct heritage events
  • Flight Attendant listening sessions. Sept 15th – Oct 15th next month Hispanic Heritage Month ANC Chairperson/Inflight/LCRG BRG Representative will host the next scheduled listening session, date and time TBD.
  • Concern of “Fly” Dress code while traveling – “Tattoos are never acceptable” requesting this be addressed
  • Concern of Medlink on our IMD identifying the guest as Male or Female, seeking if this can be more gender neutral
  • Alaska and Horizon jumpseat dress code has been changed to read more gender neutral

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Optional Pronouns on Wings. Awaiting finalization of Alaska acquisition of Hawaiian, as there may be an overall new design.  
  2. Working on a CBT with SFO Chairperson about understanding transgender people, gender identity, and gender expression 
  3. Resource for Flight Attendants about safety concerns in layover cities (Layover Safety Alerts) on the AFA Website.
  4. Med Link on our IMD. Identifying the guest as Male or Female, seeking if this can be more gender neutral 
  5. CSA manual being more gender neutral. Removal of the use of the identity language of he/she when addressing proper dress attire for non rev travel.
  6.  Arrival “Land Acknowledgement Announcements” for our 6 present domiciles also including HNL
  7. Batok Tattoos visible while in uniform. Awaiting finalization of Alaska acquisition of Hawaiian.

We Want to Hear From You!

Do you have feedback for the committee, concerns you’d like to share, or items you’d like brought up with management? Please let us know! Your Local Human Rights Committee is your voice to management. You can find our contact information on the Human Rights Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – August 2024

Scheduling Committee

  • On August 27, 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, August 27, 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), Rita Tillou (SEA), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Kanako Yamado (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 Managing Director of Operations Staffing and Resource Management Brittany Audette, Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Managing Director of Inflight Operations & Crew Scheduling Allen Thieman, Senior Manager Product Management RIck Mitchell, Supervisor of Inflight Crew Scheduling Matthew Trujillo, 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, September 24, 2024.

Topics of Discussion

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

  • Flights facing heat restrictions, blocked seats, and short runways have caused passenger revenue reduction and issues with commuting in multiple locations.  
  • Night rule violations where crews were exceeding 10:30 duty limits. A reminder that the night rule supersedes irregular operations. 
  • Overview of staffing leaves for October. Currently, there is no plan to offer leaves; the company plans to lower line averages instead. 
  • There are issues with Crew Access notifications showing blank schedules. This sometimes occurs when Crew scheduling is working to confirm a hotel on your layover. 
  • Concerns over pairing options due to reduced seasonal flying.
  • Demand for more commutable and longer trips from LAX instead of co-terminals.
  • We resolved some issues regarding trip removals due to jury duty and discussed the need to remind crew schedulers of the process.
  • Hotels in the bid packet.  In some cases, the hotels will relocate the crew due to unforeseen circumstances. In most cases, the hotel in the bid packet will be the location to which you are assigned. 
  • Reminder to review fatigue management protocols. For information, refer to the Letter of Agreement at afaalaska.org. We are seeing an increase in fatigue reports among reserves and line holders.
  • There is a need for improved communication regarding the Flight Attendant website and SharePoint updates. We ask Flight Attendants to report missing or broken links to AAG information technology services (ITS) or AFA.
  • There is a noticeable decline in block hours for October, with a 13% reduction.
  • Year-over-year analysis indicating a mix of sick leave trends across different bases.
  • Crew Scheduling has approximately five (5) new crew schedulers assisting with the operation.
  • Crew Planning is hiring for a few available positions, while pilot crew planning assists until those roles are filled. 
  • Base Sits. We are anticipating a new budget for 2025. The PBS Subcommittee will not do base sits in October, November, or December. If you need assistance with bidding, please get in touch with them directly or reach out to your Local Scheduling or Reserve Committee. 

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.

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – July 2024

Scheduling Committee

  • On July 23, 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, July 23, 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 Yamado (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 Managing Director of Operations Staffing and Resource Management Brittany Audette, Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Manager of Flight Crew Systems Support Sue Rawlings, Supervisor of Inflight Crew Scheduling Matthew Trujillo , 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, August 27, 2024.

Topics of Discussion

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

  • VO is view only. This code does not allow Flight Attendants to pick up the trip while scheduling works to resolve trip issues.
  • PO is pick-up only. This code is used on Sick leave make-up days. It should not be placed on trips.
  • AFA encourages crews to report safety concerns on any redeye flight where they feel fatigued or unsafe to drive home after flying. There are reports that some of these flights are delayed several hours into the early morning, and Flight Attendants are concerned about operating the flights. 
  • Flight Attendants continue to have issues with Crew Access and OpenTime. Management continues to investigate and question whether Flight Attendants use BOT programming. Using a third-party program or application is against company policy. 
  • If you are releasing from Deadheads, please request release before positioning. Flight Attendants are receiving points when they are not showing up as scheduled and performance is hesitant to remove points that are applied. 
  • Bidding for August was busy, with virtual drop-ins for PBS bidding assistance. Bid awards for August were smooth, with high coverage.
  • NAVBLUE expects another release for PBS bidding in the near future. 
  • September schedules: Management expects to decrease the block hours and have high vacation usage in the month. Budget talks for 2025 are underway. There will be no leaves in September. Flight Attendant pairing breakdown and statistics are being reviewed by management on their dashboards.
  • July sick leave tends to increase on weekends by around 14%, while during the week is 11%. Reserve utilization is still high every month. More premium pay on weekends and tend to see 2.0x rate of pay being applied. Management tracks year-over-year (YOY) and month-over-month (MOM) trends. 
  • Personal drops low. 
  • When Flight Attendants call in fatigued, their reports are reviewed, and the issues/concerns are addressed.  
  • JCTE update is expected on July 30, 2024. Communication from management on changes and improvements will be distributed.

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.

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2024

Reserve Committee

  • Our AFA Reserve Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, June 13, to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent and advocate for our Reserve Flight Attendants.
  • The Committee also met with management to review specific concerns that Flight Attendants brought forward.
  • Your Local Reserve Committee is available to answer questions, clarify contractual language, or help resolve reserve-related issues. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

On Thursday, June 13, representatives from our AFA Local Reserve Committees met to discuss their ongoing work to advocate for Reserve Flight Attendants. Representing you at the meeting were Brandi Urban (ANC), Conner Gallagher (SEA), Anthony Eskander (PDX), Meghan Casey (SFO), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Rebecca Garcia (SAN). Also present was MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson Julie Thornton and MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation Jarod McNeill. 

The committee met with the Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling Sara Cook and Crew Pay Process Manager Michelle Carcalean.

The committee is next scheduled to meet on Thursday, September 12.

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed a number of items both during internal AFA-only conversation and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:

  • Issues & glitches with Crew Access that are affecting Reserve Flight Attendants.  Review of where known issues are documented and newly added/ fixed issues. 
  • Review of upcoming update to Crew Access software and associated fixes to current issues and other improvements prioritization for programming fixes.
  • Management staffing within Crew Scheduling.  Sara Cook hired two testers for CrewAccess that are dedicated to help Crew Scheduling test new updates prior to implementation and when a new issue is found attempting to figure out why and how to fix it. 
  • Review of reserve-related issues that have been escalated to the Scheduling Review Board (SRB) and Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes.
  • Review of reserve utilization statistics for the quarter, it is approximately 92.8% in all bases.  
  • Increase usage of LIMO in California bases and why
  • Ongoing concern with ISA coded trips and increase in no shows.  Please report these issues through the AFA Alaska Online Support Center so that AFA representatives can follow up with management. 

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Assisting Probationary Flight Attendants Through the Reserve Buddy Program.   Answering questions from and providing support to probationary Flight Attendants through an expanded AFA Reserve Buddy program.
  2. Addressing Reserve Contractual Concerns. Researching and investigating reports from Reserve Flight Attendants and actively ensuring that management is compliant with our contract. 
  3. Developing Additional Tools & Resources for New Flight Attendants. Working to create a plan to provide more user friendly, easy-to-access resources about the CBA and other job-related information for new Flight Attendants.

We Want to Hear From You!

Do you have feedback for the committee, concerns you’d like to share, or items you’d like brought up with management? Please let us know! Your Local Reserve Committee is your voice to management. You can open a support request on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or contact us directly using the information on the Reserve Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – January 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, January 27, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually 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), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), […]

Celebrating Black History Month

February 1 marks the start of Black History Month in the United States—a vibrant celebration with roots dating back to 1925, when acclaimed historian Carter G. Woodson first introduced “Negro History Week” to highlight the remarkable achievements of Black individuals. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford expanded it to Black History Month, calling on all […]

Never Forget: Honoring Alaska Airlines Flight 261—January 31, 2000 

On this day, we pause to remember and honor the anniversary of the tragic loss of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, which occurred on January 31, 2000. This heartbreaking event claimed the lives of all 88 passengers and crew on board, leaving an enduring impact on all of us. As we reflect on this tragic day, […]

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 11 – January 2026

The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) continues to make steady progress in collective bargaining sessions with management. Recent meetings have focused on refining contract Section 15 (Leaves of Absence). The JNC continues to incorporate the strongest language from both Alaska and Hawaiian agreements.

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – January 2026

On Monday, January 12, 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), Brian Sherill (LAX-pmAS), Kanani Vallot (SAN), […]

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