10.17.03 – (LAA) – Recall Packets Mailed, Senate Bill S.1708, 777 Staffing Presidential Grievance Award, Benefits Enrollment

Hello. This is George Price, APFA National Communications Coordinator, with the APFA Hotline for Friday, October 17, 2003.

Recall packets were mailed on October 9th to 390 Flight Attendants eligible for recall to active status on December 2, 2003. Responses must be received by American by October 21, 2003. Failure to respond by that date will result in forfeiture of recall rights. The AAL Recall Packet and the recall list have been posted on the opening page of the APFA Web site. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to access this information.

Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts has introduced Senate Bill S.1708. This bill would extend the Temporary Extension of Unemployment Compensation or TUEC Public Law 107-147. It would provide a 26-week extension of Unemployment Insurance to individuals who have yet to benefit from the original Temporary Extension of Unemployment Compensation. The bill would also provide 13 weeks of UI for those who have already exhausted their TEUC. Most states currently provide 26 weeks of Unemployment Insurance then an extension of 13 weeks only. Senator Kennedy’s bill would extend another 13 weeks of benefits to those who have exhausted the original 13-week extension. APFA members are asked to contact their Senators to urge their support of this bill. Contact information for Senators can be found on the Government Affairs page of the APFA Web site.

From the Safety Department: A new Security Directive has been posted on the SSI Web site. The APFA Safety Department encourages all Flight Attendants to access this information as well as the daily updates on security issues. The SSI Web site is accessible through the Flight Service Web site.

Flight Attendants who elected or defaulted to the monetary award under the 777 Staffing Presidential Grievance Award will receive their share of the award in October of 2004. Monetary awards will include interest. Flight Attendants electing the vacation option will receive their vacation awards in the May 2004-April 2005 vacation period. APFA currently holds leans on two MD-80 aircraft and engines as guarantee of payment. For more information on this award, please refer to the information posted on the APFA Web site under ‘Hot Topics’ and the information sent to you by the Company.

Flight Attendants interested in learning more about retirement are invited to attend one of the retirement seminars scheduled for October 20, 22, and 28 in DFW. Sessions will be held at 1000 and 1400 in the Flight Service Conference Room in Terminal C Operations. Flight Attendants from all bases are welcome to attend.

Two thousand four (2004) Benefits Enrollment is currently underway. The deadline for completing the enrollment process is October 31, 2003. Flight Attendants are encouraged to ready all information regarding changes to the benefits plans and the Medical/Dental Q and As on the APFA Web site prior to making their elections. As we reported last week, Flight Attendants are not eligible for the Short Term Disability option if their state provides benefits greater than those provided by the Short Term Disability Plan being offered in the Enrollment Package. If, at any time, the individual becomes a resident of another state that does not offer benefits exceeding those of the STD Plan, they will be eligible to enroll without a statement of health. Additional Questions and Answers regarding the new health plan were posted to the APFA Web site on Friday. They can be found on the opening page under “Medical/Dental Q and As.”

From the Contract Desk: Flight Attendants force transferred into STL will not forfeit their reinstatement rights to the base at which they were stationed prior to being forced to STL unless they are offered reinstatement to their original base and decline or do not respond. In accordance with Article 16.D.6.b. of the Contract, reinstatement rights to the original base will remain in effect for five years.

The APFA and American met again this week to continue discussions on the satellite base test and a commuter policy. Additional meetings are planned. As more information on these issues becomes available, it will be included on this hotline and the APFA Web site.

By now, eligible Flight Attendants should have received information on the Board Based Stock Option Plan and the exact number of options they received. This information is also available on Jetnet on the “Benefits and Pay” page under the section titled “Broad Based Stock Options.” You can also access information by going to www.retireonline.com. Taxation on the stock options will only take place when a Flight Attendant exercises the options. The first third of options will vest in April of 2004. Employees who have questions about the Stock Option Plan should call 1-800-345-2345. For your information, APFA National Officers received 293 stock options, which is what Flight Attendants at their respective seniorities received.

The Missouri Career Center is sponsoring a job fair in St. Louis on October 29th from 0900 to 1300 at the Machinist Hall located at 12365 St. Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton, Missouri. All furloughed American Airlines employees are encouraged to bring their updated resumes to this event.

There will be a JFK and LGA Base meeting held on November 6th, 2003 at the New York LGA Marriot Hotel. The meeting will be from 1100 to 1300. The address of the hotel is 102-05 Ditmars Boulevard in East Elmhurst, NY. The phone number of the hotel is 718-565-8900. There will be a $5.00 charge for parking, however, there is also free shuttle service provided by the hotel, to/from the LGA Airport.

Liz Geiss, DFW InfoRep Captain, will continue “InfoRep Day In Ops” next week in STL on Tuesday, October 21st from 1030 until 1430. Liz has been visiting operations throughout the system with APFA Base Reps in order to create additional interest in the InfoRep Program. Her visits have resulted in many new InfoReps joining the program. If you are interested in becoming an APFA InfoRep, please contact your APFA Base Chair.

In Industry News:

American made a series of announcements this week regarding new and additional service. Most of these flights will be from Boston, DFW, Chicago, and Miami. A link to a list of the flight changes can be found on the opening page of the APFA Web site.

Delta Air Lines posted a third quarter loss of $168 million. In an effort to reduce capital expenditures by as much as $500 million, the airline said it had arranged with Boeing to sell 11 737-800s scheduled for delivery in 2005 and defer until 2008 delivery of eight more 737s scheduled for delivery in the next two years. Delta management has again called on Pilots to agree to wage concessions. Delta Flight Attendants were notified last week that the company would implement sweeping changes to work rules and pay scales next year.

United has agreed to sell four trans-Atlantic takeoff and landing slots at London’s Heathrow airport to British Airways. The deal is worth an estimated $19 million dollars.

A mediator from the National Mediation Board has joined the contract talks between Southwest Airline Flight Attendants and their company. According to TWU Local 556 President Thom McDaniel, one of the main sticking points is compensation.

Northwest Airlines announced this week it would further reduce the number of Pilots it would furlough by the end of this year by 10. When furloughs end on October 30, Northwest will have 928 Pilots on furlough. On Thursday, Northwest posted a third quarter profit of $47 million compared to a net loss for the third quarter 2002 of $46 million. Continental Airlines also posted a third quarter profit of $113 million. This compared to a net loss of $37 million for the same period in 2002. AMR will report third quarter financial results on Wednesday, October 22.

For more airline industry news, please visit the ‘News and Events’ page of the APFA Web site.

That is it for this addition of the APFA Hotline. Please visit the web site at www.www.apfa.org for the latest information and past editions of the APFA Hotline.

There are 6,150 American Airline Flight Attendants currently on furlough.