This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants
So far, this year has been about having to adapt to nearly constant change while being expected to calmly project feelings of warm and friendly hospitality onboard the aircraft. It hasn’t been easy. The amount of change we have seen this year, leading up to the opening of the SEA domicile and now the implementation of a single Passenger Service System (PSS), has simply been mentally exhausting. I would argue that providing warm and friendly hospitality onboard the aircraft is not something we were trained to do. I believe for most of us it is who we are because of our island culture, but it still needs to be nourished and supported, otherwise it could be lost.
In addition to those changes there is the economic pressure we are all feeling due to the recent spike in oil prices, which has put more financial pressure on the Company and on the success of the service to Europe. On Thursday, April 23, there will be an all-employee Town Hall to discuss the Q1 financial results. It appears that so far demand has held up and it does not appear that there will be any significant schedule changes.
One schedule change that we have been asked about is the loss of the LAS turns. The change is the result of adding additional non-daily flights into LAS, which created an unbalanced flight schedule. If the turns continued, there would be longer pairings for LAS with more deadheading, which would not be as cost efficient as the schedule we are operating today. We’ve had the LAS turns for years because they are efficient and because the flight schedule supported them.
Finally, last month Kela and I attended the AFA Board of Directors meeting in Portland, Oregon. The most significant outcome of the meeting is there will be an increase in AFA dues beginning in June. The dues increase, which is $5.12, was not optional. It was mandated by AFA’s affiliation agreement with the CWA back in 2003 – more than 20 years ago. A more complete explanation of the dues increase is below.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me (martin.gusman@afahawaiian.org) or Kela (kela.chong@afahawaiian.org).
In Solidarity,
Martin Gusman
LEC President
Kela Chong
LEC Vice President
Single Passenger Service System (PSS) Cutover
The launch of the single passenger service system (PSS) tomorrow will bring about a number of changes, including some that may affect your ability to get to work or leisure travel. These are the issues that we have been asked about and are watching:
- Commuting Policies
After PSS, Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants will continue to operate under the provisions of their respective policies. An issue of concern for many people is Alaska’s positive space pass for commuting – D8Y. Management’s intention is to maintain the status quo of the pre-PSS environment. D8Y will still be available for Alaska employees on their pre-merger fleet of 737’s, but will not be available on the B717, A321, A330, or B787. This is a complicated issue which may be grieved by several Unions. - Boarding Priority & Seniority
Beginning with PSS, our boarding priority for non-revenue travel will be determined by our priority code, year of hire, and time of check-in. Hawaiian’s boarding priority for non-revenue travel was determined by our priority code, and our full date of hire (year, month, and day). The loss of the month and day elements for determining our boarding priority (versus just the year of hire that will be used at PSS) amounts to a loss of seniority for travel purposes. The Alaska-Hawaiian MEC will be filing a grievance on this issue to have our full seniority recognized for non-revenue travel. - Flight Attendant Jumpseat
The Alaska-Hawaiian MEC will be looking into filing a grievance regarding the change to our Jumpseat Policy. Section 30.G.1. of our contract requires that AFA and management mutually agree on procedures for assignment of cabin jump seat authority. As a note, only qualified Hawaiian Flight Attendants are allowed to occupy the Flight Attendant jumpseat. The FAA requires anyone who occupies a Flight Attendant jumpseat to be trained on the operation of the exit.
AFA Dues Increase
Please be advised that there will be a net increase of $5.12 to our AFA dues beginning in June. Under the terms of AFA’s affiliation agreement with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFA membership dues must be equal to the average dues of a CWA member, which is $65.36. During this year’s Board of Directors meeting in Portland, the voting delegates (the Local Council Presidents of each AFA represented airline) debated and ultimately determined by vote how the increase will be implemented. There are two important things to understand about the increase and how it will be implemented:
First, the increase is not optional. The increase is mandated by AFA’s affiliation agreement with the CWA, which was approved in 2003. The affiliation agreement came about in the aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, which left the entire US airline industry, and our Union, with an uncertain future. More than twenty years later the question wasn’t whether or not the Board favored an increase. The question was how would the increase be implemented?
Second, the Board recognized that the increase needed to be implemented in a way that reduced the financial impact to Flight Attendants. The Board achieved this by spreading the increase over three years – the maximum allowable time for implementation –by providing a dues rebate. Each Master Executive Council (MEC) has the ability to request a dues rebate on behalf of their Flight Attendants, thereby limiting the increase to $5.12 annually for three years. Your Alaska-Hawaiian MEC will be submitting a request for a dues rebate and more information about the rebate and the dues increase will be forthcoming.
While no one wants to see dues increase, the fact is that dues have not kept up with the cost of doing business. Our last dues increase was 10 years ago while the cost of negotiating and enforcing contracts have steadily increased since that time.
Crew Rest Facility Priority
With the increased number of Flight Attendants deadheading and pass riding on flights between Honolulu and Seattle, there have been a few times when there was some confusion about the priority for access to the crew rest facilities (LDMCR/OFAR).
This is the contractual priority order for access to the crew rest facility:
- Working Crew
- Deadheading Crew
- Pass Riding Flight Attendants
This information can be found in Section 7.D.2.f.(19)-(20) of the contract, on pages 7-17 and 7-18. As a reminder, our contract provides us with the flexibility to use crew rest facilities when working, deadheading, or pass riding. We all have a shared responsibility to use good judgement and to be fair when it comes to using these facilities.
Scott Henton Receives AFA Lifetime Achievement Award
Congratulations to Scott Henton, who was recognized at this year’s Board of Directors meeting for his career-long commitment to his fellow Hawaiian Flight Attendants and our Union! Scott received AFA’s Ada Brown Greenfield Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to a Union leader who has distinguished themself through a lifetime of contribution to the advancement of our Union with professional and personal integrity. The award is not given annually and is only given when a deserving member is identified. Scott is the third Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendant to receive this prestigious award, joining previous recipients Sharon Soper and Diana Huihui.
This year four Alaska-Hawaiian Flight Attendants received special recognition! Beth Hayes of LAX Council 47 received the Edith Lauterbach Merit Award, Melanie Buker of SAN Council 15 received the EAP Lifetime Achievement Award, and Terry Taylor of SEA Council 19 received the Ada Brown Greenfield Lifetime Achievement Award. A heartfelt mahalo and congratulations to all of our outstanding Flight Attendants for their contributions to their fellow Flight Attendants and our Union!
Alaska-Hawaiian Council 43 HNL Election
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. Nominations for the positions of LEC President, LEC Vice President, and LEC Secretary closed on April 16. Voting notices with credentials to access the ballot will be mailed on April 30, 2026, and voting begins on May 5, 2026.
As an active member in good standing, you have the right to support candidates for office, to run for office and to cast a secret ballot during the election. Our 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.org/elections.
Updated Council 43 Committee Roster
Our Council 43 Roster has been updated and moved to its new home at the AFA Alaska 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.
