This message is for pre-merger LAX and SEA based Hawaiian Flight Attendants

Delays: When Do We Drop

Flight crews dealing with lengthy delays often ask the question: “When do we drop?”

For Flight Attendants, this generally means: At what point does the delay make us contractually unable to take the flight?

Delays and irregular operations can be layered and complex, and there are many different contractual provisions that may trigger removal from a trip depending on the circumstances.

This communication is focused specifically on one scenario: you have reported for your trip, your flight is delayed, and the delay may cause you to time out.

Other circumstances may involve different contractual protections or removal provisions.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All examples in this communication use a 16:00-hour maximum duty period because all current LAX and SEA flying is staffed with standard crews [Section 7.C.2.b.].

For flights staffed with an augmented crew [Section 7.C.2.d.], the applicable maximum duty period increases. Be sure to use the maximum duty period that applies to your specific crew staffing when calculating your Drop Time.

In Solidarity,

Council 47 Grievance Committee
47.grievance@afahawaiian.org

SEA Pulse Form (anonymous)
LAX Pulse Form (anonymous)
Council 47 SEA Committee Contact Roster

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Drop Time

The “Drop Time” is the time at which the crew is projected to exceed its applicable maximum duty period and will no longer be legal to take the flight (also known as timing out).

During delays and while the “Drop Time” approaches, the First Flight Attendant and Crew Scheduling should remain in constant communication to ensure everyone is aware of the timeline and proper planning can take place.

If the boarding door is closed prior to your “Drop Time”, you are legal to take the flight.

Please also remember that reaching your “Drop Time” does not mean you have reached your maximum duty hours. If you are no longer legal to take the flight, you may still remain on duty and be used for duties such as boarding until you reach your applicable maximum duty hours. You are not released from duty until Crew Scheduling has released you.

🌴Los Angeles

For LAX Flight Attendants, there are two different calculations depending on the scheduled duty period of your pairing: duty periods scheduled at 14 hours or less, and duty periods scheduled over 14 hours. [Section 7.C.2.b and LAX LOA 1]

If your scheduled duty period is 14 hours or less, the basic calculation is:

Original Report Time + Max Duty (16:00) − Checkout (:15) − Bid Packet Block Time + :01 = Drop Time

14 hours or less Example:
07:00 Report + 16:00 Maximum Duty − :15 Checkout − 5:11 Bid Packet Block Time + :01 = 17:35 Drop Time
*be sure to convert time zones as necessary*

If your scheduled duty period is over 14 hours, the LAX Domicile Side Letter applies and the calculation is different. Your maximum duty is based on the duty period published in the bid packet plus two hours.

For these pairings, there is a much simpler way to determine your Drop Time:

Take the scheduled departure time of your return flight out of Hawaii and add 2:01.

Over 14 Example:
Scheduled LIH Departure: 12:00 + 2:01 = 14:01 Drop Time
*be sure to convert time zones as necessary*

🏔️ Seattle

For SEA Flight Attendants, the calculation is the same, with one key variable: checkout time.

• Use a :15-minute checkout if your arrival does not require the crew to clear customs.
• Use a :30-minute checkout if your arrival requires the crew to clear customs.

For a STANDARD CREW [Section 7.C.2.b], your basic calculation is:

Original Report Time + Max Duty (16:00) − Checkout (:15 or :30) − Bid Packet Block Time + :01 = Drop Time

Without Customs Example:

For flights without customs, the applicable checkout time is 15 minutes.
15:00 Report + 16:00 Maximum Duty − Checkout (:15) − 6hr11min Bid Packet Block Time + :01 = Drop Time: 00:35 AM (next day)

With Customs Example:
For a flight requiring customs clearance, the checkout time is 30 minutes.
16:15 Report + 16:00 Maximum Duty − Checkout (:30) − 10h45m Bid Packet Block Time + :01 = Drop Time: 21:01

***An extra Flight Attendant added for crew-to-load does not make the crew augmented. The crew is still considered a Standard Crew***

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Overview Reminders

When experiencing a lengthy delay, make sure you know your:

• Original report time
• Max Duty [Section 7.C.2. Standard Crew]
• Originally scheduled departure time [Bid Packet]
• Scheduled bid packet block time [Bid Packet]
• Current rescheduled departure time

Knowing these numbers will help you understand when your crew reaches its contractual limit and answer that familiar question: “When do we drop?”

These calculations determine the point at which you would be projected to exceed your applicable maximum duty period.

If the boarding door is closed prior to your Drop Time, you are legal to take the flight.

An extra Flight Attendant added for crew-to-load does not make the crew augmented. The crew is still considered a Standard Crew

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FAQ

What is the “Drop Time”?

The “Drop Time” is the time at which the crew is projected to time out and be illegal to take their scheduled flight.

Where do I find the information needed to calculate it?

Your report time, scheduled duty period, and scheduled block time can be found in the current month’s bid packet. You Max Duty time is found in Section 7.C.2. for a Standard Crew.

Is everyone’s Drop Time calculated the same way?

No. Your applicable maximum duty, check out time and calculation can vary based on your domicile, scheduled duty period, type of flying, and crew staffing. LAX also has additional provisions under the LAX Domicile Side Letter.

Should I use the estimated delayed flight time for the Drop Time?

No. The calculation uses the scheduled flight time published in the bid packet, not the current estimated or anticipated flight time.

What happens if we reach our Drop Time?

If the boarding door has not closed by the Drop Time, the crew is projected to exceed its applicable maximum duty period and is no longer legal to take the flight.

Does reaching the Drop Time mean I am off duty?

No. You may still remain on duty and be used for duties such as boarding until you reach your applicable maximum duty hours.

Who should be monitoring this?

Flight Attendants should know their applicable limitations. As the Drop time approaches, the First Flight Attendant and Crew Scheduling should remain in communication to ensure proper planning.

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants

August: Government Affairs and Human Rights Update

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Government Affairs

SCOTUS Voting Rights Decision: How Does This Impact Flight Attendants?

On Aug. 24, the SCOTUS lifted a lower-court injunction on procedural/standing grounds, allowing the current administration’s restrictions on mail-in voting to move forward. However, as of Aug. 28, another federal judge has temporarily blocked the USPS rule that would allow these restrictions to move forward in implementation. The rule could make the USPS charged with determining who receives a mail ballot in November. This is federal overreach as it oversteps the states’ constitutional authority to administer their own elections.

Voting by mail is essential for Flight Attendants, as many of us are away from our voting jurisdictions and working on Election Day. It ensures that we have the opportunity to make our voices heard, regardless of where our schedules take us.

It is important to note that this situation is still very fluid, which is why making a plan to vote early is going to be crucial this election season as we cannot assume the current rules will remain the same. If you have a mail-in ballot requested or automatically being sent in your state, please do not hold on to it. Be sure to mail your ballot ASAP after completing it or drop it off at a designated location, as designated by your state and county.

Now more than ever, we must remain vigilant about voting practices, ensure that our ballot is cast and our vote is counted, because EVERY VOTE COUNTS!

Read More:

• NPR: Supreme Court Ruling on Mail-In Voting
• PBS NewsHour: Supreme Court Mail-In Voting Ruling Explained
• ACLU: Challenge to Newly Finalized Mail Ballot Rule
• Voting Rights Lab: Proposed USPS Mail Ballot Rule

Upcoming September Primary Dates

• Sept. 1: MA
• Sept. 8: NH
• Sept. 9: RI
• Sept. 15: DE

Labor Endorsements

• AFA-CWA Endorsements
• California Labor Federation Endorsements
• Washington State Labor Council Endorsements

Midterm Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3

Please remember to make a plan to vote! Many of us have moved and/or experienced redistricting of our state maps. Your voting location and/or registration status may have changed. Check your registration status, voting location and request a mail-in ballot (if that is your preferred voting method) and return it ASAP. Do not hold on to your ballot until the last minute.

Check out AFA’s Voting Page for more information.

Training Opportunity: CWA’s Fighting Oligarchy (Virtual)

CWA Fighting Oligarchy is CWA’s new political education training focused on understanding the current political crisis working people face in 2026.

Participants in this session learn about what “Oligarchy” is and the tools the billionaire class use to consolidate their power at our expense. Training participants explore international, historical and modern U.S. case studies on how this rule of the super wealthy took root and how the power of an organized working class can win once again. Training participants are briefed on CWA’s political strategy and how to get involved to fight back for working-class power.

This training will be broken up into four 90-minute blocks over the course of September:

• September 3: Part 1: What is Oligarchy?
• September 10: Part 2: How Movements Can Win
• September 17: Part 3: Case Study: The Workers of Chile Defeat Oligarchy
• September 24: Part 4: Our Plan to Win: CWA vs. The Oligarchy

Each session will start at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT and end at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT.

Register for CWA’s Fighting Oligarchy Training

FlightPAC

FlightPAC is our way of having a voice in Washington, D.C., where lawmakers make decisions impacting our careers, our livelihood every day. It is our way to build political power for us and our careers. Consider making a contribution.

Learn More About FlightPAC

Ready to sign up? Contact Bruni.

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Human Rights and Equity

Days of Observance/Holidays

United Nations Human Rights Calendar: September 2026

• Sept. 7: Labor Day
• Sept. 8: International Literacy Day
• Sept. 10: World Suicide Prevention Day
• Sept. 11: 9/11 Remembrance
• Sept. 11–12: Rosh Hashanah
• Sept. 15: International Day of Democracy
• Sept. 20–21: Yom Kippur
• Sept. 21: International Day of Peace and World Alzheimer’s Day
• Sept. 23: Bi Visibility Day
• Sept. 25–Oct. 2: Sukkot

Hispanic Latinx Heritage Month is Sept. 15–Oct. 15!

It is a month-long celebration of the histories, cultures and contributions of the Hispanic and Latinx communities. This is a great opportunity to take time to expand our minds (and perhaps palates!) throughout the month.

Tip: Look for cultural and educational events happening in your area. A great start could be your local library!

Wear your AFA diversity pin!

A Little Labor Day History

From Union Plus

Before workers organized and formed unions, there were no regulations surrounding employment, and employers often took advantage of this freedom. This meant that employees were very often required to work extraordinarily long hours, and with no job protection from discrimination, or even violence. Worse still, young children were often put to work in factories, mines, railroads, warehouses, and other dangerous work environments.

How It Began

Working people began organizing and bargaining collectively to advocate for better working conditions and wages and celebrated the first Labor Day in New York City on Tuesday, September 5, 1882. Following the deaths of 13 workers during the Pullman Strike in June of 1894, President Grover Cleveland made reconciliation with the labor movement a top priority of his administration, making Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894.

During the major economic depression of the early 1890s, the Pullman Palace Car Company cut wages in its factories. Discontented workers joined the American Railway Union (ARU), led by Eugene V. Debs, which supported their strike by launching a boycott of all Pullman cars on all railroads. ARU members across the nation refused to switch Pullman cars onto trains. When these switchmen were disciplined, the entire ARU struck the railroads on June 26, 1894. Within four days, 125,000 workers on twenty-nine railroads had quit work rather than handle Pullman cars.

How Unions Impact Our Lives Today

In the years since, labor unions have served as a united voice for workers of all professions by bargaining collectively with employers to advocate for better wages, working conditions and to establish parameters of work life that have become commonplace and law, such as the eight-hour workday, five-day workweek, protection for children in the workplace and the federal minimum wage.

Questions/Concerns Regarding ICE Activity at Our U.S. Airports?

Check out AFA’s Guide for Your Rights in U.S. Domestic Airports.

CWA Human Rights Conference Recap

C.47 Alexandra Roa & Bruni Agosto-Pinal and C.43 LEC Secretary Soon Kim represented AFA at the biennial CWA Human Rights Conference where they experienced days full of education, inspiration and most importantly, on the last day, activism related to a slew of topics affecting us all, from political activism, military veteran support all the way to the Delta AFA campaign!

Bruni was not only an attendee, but also a sitting member of the CWA Women’s Committee and therefore had a role in much of the behind-the-scenes work related to the conference events as hosted by the CWA Human Rights Committee. She also presented on the impact of Federal DEI rollbacks and its impact on Black women in the federal workforce on Day 1 of the conference.

CWA members from all across the nation attended, networked across sectors and honed in on core issues surrounding all of us as workers, while focusing on ways to build worker power, together.

Workshops included topics on artificial intelligence, immigration, finding balance as a worker, gender justice, and more! This was a wonderful experience for us all and we are further equipped with topics, tools and information we can bring back to our councils and flying partners to continue the great work this committee does.

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Mahalo,

Bruni Agosto-Pinal
Government Affairs Chairperson
Human Rights & Equity Chairperson
Council 47 LAX/SEA
bruni.agosto-pinal@afahawaiian.org