12.26.01 – (LAA) – Shoe Bomber, AA Flight 63, Defense Appropriations Approval

Today is Wednesday, December 26th. This is John Ward, President of APFA.

I know you’re all aware of the events of last Saturday aboard flight 63 from Paris to Miami. By every account, a major disaster was narrowly averted thanks to the quick and decisive actions of our flight attendants. APFA recognizes these flight attendants and the entire crew of flight 63 — whose names I will not mention on this hotline in order to protect their privacy & for their courage and professionalism in handling this terrifying and potentially devastating situation; I know you join me in thanking them for a job well done.

APFA Representatives have spoken with the crew and will continue working with Management to ensure the crew’s needs are being met. In addition, the APFA Safety Department will be following closely the latest developments in the ongoing investigation into this security breach.

As you well know, Flight Attendants are responsible for the safety of their passengers on every flight every day, and what transpired aboard flight 63 on Saturday serves as a dramatic case-in-point of the truth of that statement. These folks — although they shun the label & are heroes. And so were all the crew members from American and United who were lost in the terrorist attacks of September 11. And so was the crew of flight 587. And so are you who, day in and day out, make us proud to have been elected to represent such a fine group of professionals.

This hotline will be updated on Friday, December 28. Please stay on the line for the APFA hotline, which was recorded on December 21. Thank you for calling.

This is Leslie Mayo, National Communications Coordinator, with the APFA HotLine for Friday, December 21, 2001.

Yesterday, the House and Senate approved the Defense Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2002. Due in large part to the efforts of the APFA membership, the so-called “Bond Amendment” that called for arbitrating the AA-TWA LLC seniority integrations was not part of the final legislation. The quick response by the membership to APFA’s request for action was instrumental in stopping this amendment. Additionally, APFA wishes to thank Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Representative Dick Armey for their assistance on this matter.

As previously reported, APFA and American reached agreement on seniority integration for the TWA LLC Flight Attendants. This agreement was ratified unanimously by the APFA Board of Directors on Wednesday. Key provisions of the Agreement are as follows:

• American Flight Attendants will maintain their existing occupational (bidding), Classification, and Company seniority.
• TWA LLC Flight Attendants who came directly from TWA and who had completed training and begun line flying by April 9, 2001, will receive an occupational (bidding) seniority date at American of April 10, 2001. Those TWA LLC Flight Attendants hired after April 10, 2001, or who did not complete training and begin line flying until on or after April 10, 2001, will receive an occupational (bidding) seniority date at American of December 17, 2001.
• TWA LLC Flight Attendants still employed by TWA as of April 9, 2001, will receive full credit for their TWA Classification and Company seniority.
• A combined seniority list must be implemented no later than December 31, 2002.
• The order of the current AA and TWA LLC flight attendants on the combined seniority list is as follows:

1. AA Flight Attendants hired prior to April 10, 2001;
2. TWA LLC Flight Attendants who remained employed by TWA as of April 9, 2001, and who had completed training and begun line flying at TWA by April 9, 2001;
3. AA Flight Attendants hired on or after April 10, 2001;
4. TWA LLC Flight Attendants hired or who completed training and began line flying on after April 10, 2001.

• Upon implementation of the combined seniority list, American Airlines will assure that any Flight Attendant on furlough will be the junior most Flight Attendants, by occupational (bidding) seniority date, on the combined seniority list
• TWA LLC Flight Attendants who qualify to use their special TWA LLC occupational seniority at STL or ISL and who remain based at St. Louis will maintain their TWA LLC occupational (bidding) seniority date at STL or ISL for bidding purposes.
• TWA LLC Flight Attendants may not transfer into an American Airlines flight attendant base until all furloughed American Airlines Flight Attendants have been recalled.
• TWA LLC Flight Attendants who qualify to use their special TWA LLC occupational seniority at STL or ISL and who transfer into an American Airlines flight attendant base (provided no American Airlines flight attendants are still on furlough) will use their American occupational seniority date (either April 10, 2001 or December 17, 2001, depending on their circumstances as described above) for occupational (bidding) purposes at such base.
• TWA LLC Flight Attendants who qualify to use their special TWA LLC occupational seniority at STL or ISL and who transfer into an American Airlines flight attendant base (provided there are no American flight attendants still on furlough) and return to STL or ISL within two years, can continue to use their TWA LLC occupational seniority if they then remain at STL or ISL. However, this can only be done one time. They will lose any right to continue to use their special TWA LLC occupational seniority if they transfer into an American crew base following their initial return to STL/ISL or if they remain at an American crew base for more than two years after the first transfer out of STL or ISL.
• During the continued existence of TWA LLC, TWA LLC flight attendants who are eligible to use their special TWA LLC occupational seniority at STL or ISL and who are based at STL will be offered openings at ISL before any American Airlines Flight Attendants. Thereafter, openings at ISL will be offered to American Airlines flight attendants. Following transfer to STL or ISL, American Airlines flight attendants will use their American Airlines occupational (bidding) seniority at such bases.
• TWA LLC cannot open any new flight attendant bases.
• No new equipment types may be introduced into the TWA LLC system. For example, there can be no F100, 727, A300, or 777 flying introduced into the TWA LLC system. TWA LLC can only replace existing aircraft with a type currently flown by TWA LLC.
• TWA LLC operations will terminate no later than January 1, 2006.
• During the continued existence of TWA LLC, the number of Flight Attendants based at St. Louis International cannot exceed 11.29% of the combined number of Flight Attendants based at American’s IOR and IDF bases. The number of Flight Attendants based at St. Louis Domestic cannot exceed 52.14% of the combined number of Flight Attendants based at American’s ORD and DFW bases. AA will be considered to be in compliance with these limitations if the percentage of Flight Attendants based in STL or ISL relative to the combined DFW/ORD or IDF/IOR do not exceed the percentages listed by more than 3%.
• At the termination of TWA LLC operations, TWA LLC Flight Attendants who still maintain use of their special TWA LLC occupational seniority at STL or ISL, as described above, will continue to be able to use that seniority as long as they remain continuously based at STL or ISL.
• Neither American nor TWA LLC can hire any new flight attendants as long as American Airlines or TWA LLC flight attendants remain on furlough.
• Any disputes between APFA and American regarding this agreement will be resolved through expedited arbitration. The entire Agreement is posted on the APFA web site at www.www.apfa.org.

In other news, WINGS has set up a fund for the families of the crew members of AA Flight 587. Please send your donations to: The WINGS Foundation, c/o Marie Lockbaum, 5350 Toscana Way, #E-309, San Diego, CA 92122. Please make note in the “remarks” section of your check “Families of Flight 587.”

As a reminder, APFA will be closed on December 24 and 25 for the Christmas holiday. Headquarters will reopen Wednesday, December 26 at 0830. This Hotline will be updated on Friday, December 28. Thank you for calling.