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Too Fatigued to Fly

Crewmember fatigue is a serious issue facing pilots and Flight Attendants and has gained considerable media attention over the last several years. New federal regulations addressing pilot fatigue contained in 14 FAR 117 took effect January 4, 2014. Despite the advances being made for pilots, federal regulations addressing rest and fatigue for Flight Attendants continue to lag behind.

Our Fatigue Policy: There Isn’t One

Neither our contract nor the Flight Attendant Manual addresses the issue of Flight Attendant fatigue. No provision exists for a Flight Attendant to call in “fatigued”. Despite numerous requests from AFA to discuss a fatigue policy, management will not enter into a discussion at this time. This leaves us as Flight Attendants with very few options when we are too fatigued to continue working.

I’m Too Fatigued To Fly, What Are My Options?

If you are unable to continue flying due to fatigue, management’s position is that your only option is to call in sick online (SO). Calling in sick online will remove you from your trip and you will receive corresponding attendance points and, if you have available sick leave, be paid sick leave for any flying not yet completed on the pairing. You’ll have the ability to submit a point reduction form to mitigate any points if you haven’t already submitted one for the quarter.

Write It Up—File an ASAP

The ASAP Event Review Committee (ERC) has starting tracking fatigue-related events separately for reporting purposes. If you experience a fatigue-related event, please document it on an ASAP report. The Master Executive Council (MEC) is tracking the information from these reports in hopes that the company will see the importance of entering into a discussion and eventual development of a fatigue policy to help improve safety for our Flight Attendants, coworkers, and passengers alike.

If you have any questions about Flight Attendant fatigue, please contact one of your Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers. Contact information is available on afaalaska.org under the Local Council menu.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC—Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt and MEC Grievance Chairperson Jennifer Wise-MacColl

 

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Refreshed Inflight Mobile Device (IMD) Distribution

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants Management has recently informed our Master Executive Council (MEC) that they are distributing new Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) to Flight Attendants with devices nearing the end of their lifecycle. The specific schedule for this distribution will be communicated by management separately. Flight Attendants with the oldest devices […]

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – September 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, September 23, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met in person at Alaska Airlines Corporate Headquarters 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), […]

Meet Our Pre-Merger Alaska Committee Chairperson & Representatives

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants We’re excited to introduce the first group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives for the upcoming MEC Officer term. They’ll begin transitioning into their roles over the next few months and officially start their terms on January 1, 2026. Below, you’ll find brief biographies that […]

Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2025

On Thursday, September 18, our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing efforts to represent our Flight Attendants and advocate for improvements in our workplace. Although our Inflight Service Committee has now merged, meetings with management continue to focus primarily on the Alaska or Hawaiian brands individually. This particular meeting was centered […]

Vacation Survey Closing Soon

There’s just 1 DAY LEFT to complete the crucial vacation survey that will help shape future provisions—your insights are essential for advocating the best outcomes for all Flight Attendants. The survey is currently open and will remain available until Wednesday, September 24 at 12 PM PT.

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