Council 43 Update – April 5, 2026

April 5, 2026 11:30

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants

Easter is a time to celebrate life and renewal, and gives us an opportunity to reflect on what is important to us.

This Easter many of our hearts are heavy with thoughts of friends we lost too soon. With our busy lives and so many changes at work, it can be easy to overlook the little things that mean a lot to us. This Easter is a gentle reminder to take a moment to cherish every story, laugh, and hug we share with one another – the memories we will keep forever.

May this Easter bring you and your loved one’s peace and joy.

In Solidarity,

Martin Gusman & Kela Chong

Pre-Merger Hawaiian Inflight Service Committee Update – March 2026

March 30, 2026 09:00

Editor’s Note: Our MEC Inflight Service Committee now represents both pre-merger airlines, but management still makes service decisions that affect each group of Flight Attendants differently. This update covers changes for both Hawaiian- and Alaska-branded flying, but is specific to aircraft flown by pre-merger Hawaiian Airlines crews.

As the work of the merger progresses, we are nearing a monumental milestone. The operation cutover to PSS (Single Passenger Service System) occurs on 4/22. From the perspective of Inflight Service, PSS signifies the beginning of change for our Inflight work routines. Your Inflight Service Committee has been working diligently to represent your interests over the last several months to prepare for the changes that you will begin to see onboard the aircraft.

Who makes up our AFA Inflight Service Committee?

Master Executive Council (MEC) – deals with issues at a combined carrier level

Bianca McKee, Chairperson – Hawaiian Brand
Chase Vandergrift, Chairperson – Alaska Brand

Local Council – deals with issues at a local (or base) level

Thalia Adachi, Chairperson for Council 43 (HNL)
Gary Mano’i, Chairperson for Council 47 (LAX & SEA pmHA)

What has the Committee been working on?

787 International – HA Brand
787 International & Domestic – AS Brand
SEA Base Immersion Training
The Future of Hawaiian Branded Service
B2B App & Early Adopter Group
Service Resource Update
Safety Risk Assessments
Cabin Interior Projects

787 International – HA Brand

Main Cabin Delivery & TSU Collection Procedures have been updated following Flight Attendant feedback
All 787 flights will transition to Alaska Branded Service starting April 25

787 International & Domestic – AS Brand

Starting April 25, all flights operated on the 787 will launch with Alaska branded service.

Planning for these service changes began in late 2025. Management called on the HA Service Team for their onboard expertise to assist in building service procedures that meet the company’s competitive service goals. Our AFA Inflight Service Committee was also included in discussions. The HA Service Team members currently include Kahea Ching, Corynn St. Marie, Joyce Foley, George Thronas, Chason Yamaguchi, Bianca Mckee (AFA), Thalia Adachi (AFA), and Gary Mano’i (AFA).

Details around 787 service changes will be shared in depth at SEA Base Immersion Training. Service resources are being developed by management to be made available to all Flight Attendants.

International:

Four service test flights on SEA-ICN were operated by the service team and AFA Inflight Service Committee for the service model to be used for SEA-FCO/LHR/ICN/NRT. These test flights helped to determine deliverability & service flow.

The Committee continues to express concerns over staffing and heavy Flight Attendant workload. It is important to note that at this time the Committee has not given its full agreement to service changes that management plans to implement. Updates will be shared as we continue to advocate for a manageable workload onboard the aircraft.

Domestic:

Domestic 787 flights will mirror current day Alaska Airlines Premium Long-Haul Service. The Committee has requested that meal options be limited at launch to allow Flight Attendants time to learn the new process.

A brief overview of the 787 Domestic Alaska Brand Service:

First Class Pre-Ordered Meals
No complimentary main cabin meal
Premium Class Snack Basket
Limited pre-ordered fresh meal options available for purchase in the main cabin
Shelf-stable meal options over boarded to be made available for purchase

Immersion Training for SEA-Based Flight Attendants

On Friday, March 20, Vice President of Inflight Allen Thieman sent a SEA Domicile Update to Flight Attendants including the following information about SEA base Immersion Training:

“The Alaska Global Immersion is an in-person experience at our Global Training Center for our new Seattle domiciled Flight Attendants that is designed to:

Set our HA SEA Flight Attendants up for success delivering our global experience from our Seattle gateway
Align service flow expectations, onboard service, and guest experience standards
Give Flight Attendants direct access to leaders, partners, products, and the broader vision for Seattle as a global gateway”

Immersion training for SEA-based Flight Attendants, who were awarded bids on March 10, will take place from April 7 through 9. Our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons will attend all three days of this training to represent you.

The Future of Hawaiian Branded Service

The Committee is in discussion with management as they look to redesign the Hawaiian Brand service model.

For many, our inflight service is the foundation of our identity and who we are as Hawaiian Airlines. Protecting our brand remains paramount as we navigate forward.

Block2Block (B2B) App & Early Adopter Group

The new inflight app Block2Block (B2B) launches April 22. The Committee has been included in the Early Adopter group to provide feedback to management and the app development team. B2B should already be downloaded on your IMDs. Early Adopters will be distributing new card readers in base CROs throughout the rest of March. Roadshows will continue through April for card reader distribution and in person guidance on Status Recognition and Premium Class Offerings. Please complete your 1st Quarter CBT in Cornerstone prior to April 15. Reference the “Q1 2026 CBT” email for details.

Service Resources Update

Service In-Flight Planning Communications are now available for offline viewing on your IMD:

Content App > All Files > 5. Onboard Service > 0. Latest Updates

Safety Risk Assessments

The MEC Inflight Service Committee has been actively engaged in management’s process to analyze safety risks and corresponding mitigations. Data utilized for Safety Risk Assessments are sourced directly from Intelex. Please continue to document any unsafe work practices, experiences, and/or onboard events within the Intelex system.

Cabin Interior Projects

The MEC Inflight Service Committee has established a consistent and collaborative relationship with the planning teams responsible for future aircraft model acquisitions and scheduled retrofit projects. This proactive engagement ensures that the perspectives and needs of our Members are integrated into the decision-making process at the earliest stages.

Important Dates

April 7-9	SEA Base Immersion Training
April 15	1st Quarter CBTs due in Cornerstone
April 22	PSS (Single Passenger Service System) – B2B goes live, New Credit Card Readers to be used with B2B – Status Recognition begins – Extra Comfort turns to Premium Class, Premium Class offering begins
April 25	All 787 Flights to Transition To Alaska Branded Service
April 28	SEA-FCO Inaugural
April 30	Pau Hana App removed from IMDs, sync transactions prior to April 30
May 21	SEA-LHR Inaugural

Other Updates

Catering Reports

Due to the HA emailing sunsetting on April 23, catering reports will need to be submitted as follows:

March 23 – April 21: Flight Attendants are directed to submit catering reports via Intelex
April 22: B2B goes live. Flight Attendants will be directed to submit catering reports via the “catering and service feedback” tab found under your selected flight.

AFA Inflight Service Committee Lounge Sits

We’d like to hear from you! Please visit our AFA Inflight Service Committee in the HNL CRO from 9 AM to 1 PM on the following dates: April 14,15, 17, 21, 22, 24, 28.

*Lounge Sits for pmHA LAX and SEA will take place at a later date.

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 13 – March 2026

March 27, 2026 13:00

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants

Our JNC met with management this week on March 24 to March 26 in Seattle; our next negotiation session is scheduled for April 28 to April 30
Our JNC continued to focus on improving Sections 15 (Leaves of Absence) and 28 (Domiciles), working to clarify issues and provide better support for Flight Attendants
A new Section 37 (Temporary Duty Assignments) and the first proposal for Section 16 (Sick Leave) was presented to management, based on member feedback from the sick leave survey

Negotiations Update

Our AFA Alaska + Hawaiian Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met this week for three days of collective bargaining with management. The JNC met with management on March 24 to March 26 in Seattle, WA. At the negotiating table for this session were:

Representing AFA and our Flight Attendants	Representing Management
Tim Green, Joint Negotiating Committee Chairperson	Allen Thieman, Vice President of Inflight, Alaska
Martin Gusman, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Joe Wonderly, Vice President, Labor Relations, Alaska
Jeffrey Fuke, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Carmen Williams, Managing Director, Labor Relations, Alaska
Virginia Fritz, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Kalani Sloat, Senior Director, Labor Relations, Hawaiian
Heather Reier, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Mike Link, Labor Relations Program Manager, Alaska
Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff Negotiator	Karen Themelis, Senior Labor Relations Business Partner, Alaska
Jake Jones, MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson	Brittany Audette, Managing Director Operations Staffing and Resource Management
	Rich Hendrickson, Finance Process Manager

In this session, we continued to focus on the concerns identified in Section 15 (Leaves of Absence) and Section 28 (Domiciles). We also presented our first proposal for Section 16 (Sick Leave) to management that captures important Alaska provisions and brings in the benefits of the Hawaiian sick leave program. Your feedback on the survey helped the Committee understand what matters most to Flight Attendants, and we are pushing for more improvements to address all of our needs going forward.

A new Section was also proposed as Section 37 (Temporary Duty Assignments). We modeled our proposal on the Hawaiian CBA, along with provisions from other global carriers. Jake Jones, AFA’s MEC Scheduling Chairperson, together with Brittany Audette and Rich Hendrickson from management, joined us to talk through creating the framework and process for programming the buddy bidding process for company-required training. We discussed possible scenarios, important questions, and the steps needed to match operational needs with bidding preferences so we can successfully automate buddy bidding into the training process.

Section by Section Progress

The Alaska CBA is being used as the basis of the joint contract for language purposes. Each section and provision from both contracts will be reviewed individually to incorporate and amend the strongest elements from each agreement.

Sections discussed in this session:

Leaves of Absence (AS CBA Section 15 and HA CBA Section 17)
Sick Leave (AS CBA Section 16 and HA CBA Section 19)
Domiciles (AS CBA Section 28 and HA CBA Section 5, 14, and 27)
🆕 Temporary Duty Assignments (AS CBA does not address these provisions and HA CBA 15)

Sections in ongoing discussion:

General and Miscellaneous (AS CBA Section 24 and HA CBA Section 27)
Commuter Policy (AS CBA Section 26 and HA CBA Section 34-28)
Training (AS CBA Section 30 and HA CBA Section 26)

Sections listed below are on hold until discussions regarding future sections, which affect specific provisions, take place.

Seniority (AS CBA Section 6 and HA CBA Section 9)
Grievance Procedures (AS CBA Section 19 and HA CBA Section 23)
Charters (AS CBA Section 33 and HA CBA Section 12)

What’s Upcoming

Our next session with management is scheduled for April 28 to April 30.

AFA-CWA Council 43 Election Notice

March 27, 2026 12:43

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants

Please be advised that the AFA-CWA Council 43 Elections will begin shortly. The positions of LEC President, LEC Vice. President, and LEC Secretary, will be elected for the term starting on July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029.

Nominations will be accepted starting April 1, 2026, though April 16, 2026. Voting notices will be mailed to your address on file with the Membership Hub on April 30, 2026. Voting begins on May 5, 2026, and ends on May 19, 2026, at 1500 EDT.

Term of Office: July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029

Positions to be Elected

LEC President
LEC Vice President
LEC Secretary

This is the first year our Local Council will be using the election self-nomination process. This process was adopted during the 2024 Board of Directors meeting and is intended to make it easier for everyone to participate in Local Council elections by allowing a Flight Attendant to self-nominate for any of the LEC Officer positions with at least one endorsement of an active member in good standing. Please see the Self-Nomination Guide for more information about the process on how to ensure that your name will appear on the election ballot.

Election Schedule

April 30: Voting Notices mailed
May 5: Polls open
May 19: Polls close at 9:00 AM HT

All members in good standing are both invited and encouraged to participate in this important process. If you or someone you know are interested in running for local office, it would be helpful to review Article III and Article VIII.C of the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws and to become familiarized with the LEC Officer duties. Your LEC Officers are happy to speak with anyone who may be interested in running for office or who may just want a better understanding about the positions and/or the election process.

Please feel free to reach out to us directly or email us at hnl@afahawaiian.org.

Mahalo!

Hawaiian Seattle Domicile Council 43 and Council 47 Meeting Recap

March 25, 2026 17:00

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants

A MEC Grievance has been filed over management’s requirement for proof of relocation to qualify for the flat rate payment, with AFA contesting the change and moving the dispute to arbitration
The SEA Domicile Negotiating Committee has been addressing the vague and inconsistent guidance regarding “reasonable” moving expenses
Flight Attendants are encouraged to copy the SEA Domicile Negotiating Committee on related emails to ensure compliance

Council 43 and Council 47 SEA Domicile Meeting

The Negotiating Committee would like to acknowledge and thank everyone for their participation and engagement in the SEA Domicile meetings. The Negotiating Committee understands that there are still many questions about what qualifies as “reasonable” actual moving expenses for reimbursement and the flat rate payment. Despite the grievance AFA filed and pending arbitration, we have been engaging with the company to work through these issues, but have only received vague, unclear, and conflicting guidance. We have been appealing to management, emphasizing the need to communicate clear, consistent guidelines for the Flight Attendants.

Thanks to the many of you who have cc:’ed the SEA Domicile Negotiating Committee (SEA NC) on your communications with management.This has brought to light these inconsistencies. If you are experiencing any inconsistencies with the Inflight Administration regarding these issues, please copy the SEA Domicile Negotiating Committee (using the “cc:” function, add “SEA@afahawaiian.org“) on your emails so we may monitor and address them to ensure contractual compliance.

Meeting Recap

Address Changes will trigger tax changes and a qualifying life event for medical insurance. Health insurance is subject to our contractual requirements, which will not change. Please contact the People Resource Line (PRL) if you have any questions at 1-844-899-3617 (Monday to Friday 5 AM HT to 4 PM HT) at PeopleResourceLine@alaskaair.com. To verify provider participation, please contact your insurance provider directly.
If you will be Commuting, it is in your best interest to register as a commuter. Please review the Commuter Policy Letter of Agreement and register using your Hawaiian Airlines SSO (Single Sign-On) here. Alternatively, Flight Attendants may search “Commuter Policy” on the IFS (InFlight Sharepoint) website.
- After the PSS (Passenger Service System) Cutover on April 22, boarding priority will be based on the Hawaiian Airlines company year of hire, followed by check-in time. Employees will maintain their company seniority for pass travel privileges. The earliest check-in time will be available 24 hours prior to departure (local time of the city of departure)
- For an overview of the AS Travel Program, please visit TeamAAG using your Alaska SSO
Moving Expenses
- Flight Attendants may delay claiming the moving expense and requesting reimbursement up to 12 months from the effective date of the transfer:
  - For April 1 transfers, the deadline is March 31, 2027, and,
  - For May 1 transfers, the deadline is April 30, 2027.
- If electing Actual Moving Expenses, the limitation for expenses covered will be from domicile to domicile or actual cost of the move, whichever is less, and up to 1500 cubic feet or 15,000 pounds for household goods and personal effects. As an example, if a Flight Attendant is moving from Honolulu to Orlando, Florida, the company will only cover the portion of the cost that is equal to a move from Honolulu to Seattle (domicile to domicile); anything in excess will be the responsibility of the Flight Attendant.
  - Please contact Inflight Administration at HA.Inflight.Admin@alaskaair.com for the following:
    - To request Positive Space, you may request positive space on either Hawaiian Airlines or Alaska Airlines
    - For Space Available Cargo Shipping, please contact 1-800-225-2725 to coordinate your reservation. Form SP-28 must be completed, indicating that you have been awarded a relocation to SEA. The SP-28 Form is available through Inflight Administration.
    - For any Pet Shipping that requires special handling please reach out to Gary.Ichimura@alaskaair.com to facilitate any special approvals
    - You are also eligible for reimbursement for transportation of up to two personal vehicles, shipping arrangements are the FA’s responsibility.
- If electing Flat Rate Expenses, AFA is currently disputing the company’s unilateral implementation of proof of relocation requirements. Please be aware that if proof of relocation is not provided in accordance with management’s demands a Flight Attendant’s payment may be denied or clawed back if already received. Those who elect the Flat Rate options are not entitled to Settling Expenses as outlined in Section 5.F.
Pick-Ups between SEA-based Flight Attendants and those out of domicile will be subject to the ETCH rules which protect the flying out of each base. A Flight Attendant can pick up trips as long as there is no conflict with moving days and training and the trip has cleared the 12-hour hold of the ETCH folder.
Starting April 25, SEA-based Flight Attendants will begin to wear the newly distributed Dreamliner Uniform. In the interim, between April 10 and April 24 Flight Attendants will continue to wear the Hawaiian Airlines uniform. Flight Attendants based in HNL and LAX will be able to order the new Dreamliner Uniform at a later date.
Immersion Training will be located at the Alaska Airlines Global Training Center which is located at 1301 SW 16^th Street, Renton, WA 98057. Clothing attire at this training should be in line with the company’s Uniform Guidelines. Discussions are still being had for Immersion Training opportunities for Flight Attendants in HNL and LAX.

AFA encourages Flight Attendants to voice your opinions and concerns at the upcoming Inflight Insights Townhall on Tuesday, March 31 at 2 PM PT and 11 AM HT on Microsoft Teams. Inflight management will be taking live and pre-submitted questions. Here is your chance to get the clarification and answers to questions directly from management. Please use the Hawaiian SSO to submit a question here. We strongly encourage all non-operating Flight Attendants to participate.

Flat Rate Grievance Update

An MEC grievance was filed on February 23, 2026, regarding the Moving Language Violation, requiring proof of relocation to qualify for the flat rate payment. AFA’s stance is that Flight Attendants are able to qualify for the flat rate payment in lieu of actual moving expenses without providing proof of relocation. The flat rate payment allows the Flight Attendant to establish essential necessities at their new domicile. This includes, but is not limited to, establishing a crashpad and transportation. Management’s new requirement is a unilateral change by the company that AFA did not agree to. Management believes they have the ability to require documentation. The initial hearing for the grievance was held on March 13. A decision denying the grievance was rendered on March 19. AFA is moving forward with an arbitration.

If you are unable to provide the company requested documentation:

Document all interactions with the management regarding your denial of the Flat Rate moving expense
Flight Attendants may copy (cc:) the SEA Domicile Negotiating Committee (SEA@afahawaiian.org) in any emails with management
Flight Attendants who are wrongly denied the Flat Rate, or who are paid the Flat Rate which is subsequently wrongly recouped by management, will be included in the grievance.

SEA Domicile Resources

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your local leadership or email the SEA Domicile Negotiating Committee at SEA@afahawaiian.org.

Council 43 Update – April 5, 2026

Pre-Merger Hawaiian Inflight Service Committee Update – March 2026