3.04.04

Hello. This is Liz Geiss, DFW InfoRep Captain, with an InfoRep hotline for Thursday, March 4, 2004.

Last week, the APFA filed a Presidential Grievance on the issue of Vacation Accrual for Flight Attendants who have advanced from one accrual step to another. The grievance was filed in response to the Company’s refusal to provide Flight Attendants with the increased vacation accrual to which they are entitled by virtue of their length of service with American. The complete text of the grievance can be found on the opening page of the APFA Web site. As more information becomes available on this grievance, we will report it on the hotline and web site.

American has tentatively decided to resume service to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti on March 9th. APFA will continue to work with SOC, Corporate Security, and APA to monitor the situation in Haiti. If you have had a trip or trips cancel as a result of the disruption in service to Port-Au-Prince, please review the language in Article I.9.P.2 of the contract.

Many Flight Attendants have expressed their concerns when their already short layover rest period is interrupted by a call from Crew Tracking or Crew Schedule. In order to minimize interruptions to your layover rest periods, the company and the AA-APFA Joint Scheduling Committee have agreed to the following:

If you arrive at your layover station and are projected for less than 8 hours between duty periods, you may use the following formula to determine your new sign-in time: Block-in time of last leg of current duty period plus 8:15 domestic or 8:30 international will equal your new sign-in time for your next duty period. Crew tracking will not call you to advise of the delayed departure time in order to prevent an interruption of your layover. All other procedures regarding notification remain in effect. If your limo is provided by the hotel, please coordinate with the hotel directly as to your new pickup time the next morning. If it is a contract limo service, please contact the Hotel/Limo desk via VIP Crew to establish your new pick up time. If you are unable to quickly resolve any transportation issues via the Hotel/Limo desk, contact Crew Tracking for immediate resolution.

The APFA Board Of Directors is scheduled to continue their meeting at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston through Friday, March 5th. All members in good standing are welcome to attend all open portions of the meeting.

The Board has passed a resolution to further address the issue of reduced layover rest. In the days to come, the membership will receive a letter outlining our efforts on this issue to date, the importance of completing the two surveys regarding fatigue on the APFA web site, how to use the Capwiz feature on the Government Affairs page of the web site to contact members of Congress and other elected representatives, and upcoming events that members will be encouraged to participate in. Watch the mail for your letter and continue to monitor the web site and call the hotline for details. Meanwhile, all members are urged to complete the two surveys currently on the APFA Web site regarding reduced layover rest. It is essential that we have as much documentation as possible when addressing this issue with regulatory agencies, members of Congress, and the Company. Please encourage your flying partners to complete the surveys as well.

Also on the meeting agenda, AMR CEO Gerard Arpey, Vice President of In-Flight Services Lauri Curtis, and other members of upper management addressed the APFA Board on Wednesday. The time spent with the APFA Board included constructive discussion on issues affecting not only our membership, but the entire company, and an exchange of questions and answers. Thursday morning’s agenda focused on the election of two Ad Hoc Members of the Executive Committee. The APFA Board elected STL Flight Attendant Steve Ellis and IDF Flight Attendant Cheryl Walters as Ad Hoc Members of the Executive Committee. Their term of office begins April 1, 2004.

We will continue to update you on any additional resolutions being considered by the Board at the Annual Board of Directors meeting. This information as well as the minutes of the meeting will be made available on the APFA Web site shortly after the conclusion of this meeting.

As a reminder, primary vacation bids close at 1800 Central Time on March 7th. Secondary vacation bidding will open at 1800 Central Time on March 15th and will close at 0700 Central Time on March 23rd. The 777 vacation award bidding will begin on March 30th at 1800 Central Time and will close on April 4th at 1800 Central Time. For information on the 2004-2005 vacations, please review Attachments C and D of the Restructuring Agreement, which can be found on the APFA Web site under "Resource Center" then "APFA/AAL Collective Bargaining Agreement." Additional information can be found under "Hot Topics" on the APFA Web site and on the Flight Service Web site. Various events and important dates to remember are posted on the "Calendar" on the APFA Web site.

Don’t forget…..ballots for the APFA National Officer runoff election are due by 0900 Central Time on March 10th. We stress that the ballots must be received in the post office by this date and time. If you have not received a ballot, please call the APFA National Ballot Committee immediately at 1-800-395-2732, Extension 8311 to request a duplicate. When leaving your request, please be sure to speak slowly and include your name, base, employee number, and your current mailing address. The APFA continues to receive calls from members who are interested in accessing the taped version of the debate held between the two candidates for APFA President. The debate was not an APFA sponsored event. The APFA has been informed that members may access the debate through each of the candidates’ web sites. Exercise your right to vote in the APFA runoff election and encourage your flying partners to do the same!

That’s it for this edition of the InfoRep hotline. Please call 1-800-399-2732 for the regular hotline message, and visit the web site at www.www.apfa.org for more information.

Thanks for calling.