6.09.04 – (LAA) – AA Will Announce Recall of 233 FAs, BOS to Port au Prince Round Trip Cancelled, FA Fatigue, Turbulence, FAA Conducting On-Board Observances, Information Picketing, FAA Fines AMR 2.5 Million Dollars

This is APFA President John Ward with a special hotline update. Today is Wednesday, June 9.

APFA is pleased to announce some very good news report today and at a time when good news stories seem to be few and far between. The company will today announce the recall of 233 Flight Attendants, effective July 1. The junior most Flight Attendant receiving a recall letter has a hire date of August 3, 2000. A list of the employee numbers of those Flight Attendants to be recalled will soon be posted on the opening page of the APFA Web site.

The company will today be mailing recall packets to those Flight Attendants affected by this recall and responses must be completed and received by the company by June 19th, 2004. Failure to respond to the recall notice by that date will result in forfeiture of recall rights. For more recall information please refer to Article 16.D. of the APFA Contract.

All Flight Attendants being recalled will be assigned to the LGA base. The recall packet will contain information such as training requirements, report to base dates, schedules, and more.

APFA is very pleased, as I know you are, to be welcoming back to the line these members from furlough.

Now please remain on the line for the June 4th, hotline message.

This is Michael Truan, DFW InfoRep Captain, with a special APFA Hotline Update for Tuesday, June 8, 2004.

APFA has been informed by the company that effective June 12th the Boston – Port a Prince round trip has been cancelled. Flight Attendants who are affected by this cancellation should follow the MIC language in Appendix I Article 9 P to protect your guarantee.

Now, please stay on the line for the regular APFA Hotline.

Hello everyone. This is Liz Geiss, National Communications Coordinator, with the APFA Hotline for Friday, June 4th, 2004.

The APFA would like to take this opportunity to commend the crewmembers, working flight #306 from Dallas-Fort Worth to Boston on May 27th, 2004. As you know, due to a bomb threat, the aircraft diverted to Nashville, where passengers were safely evacuated through the aft stairs. The Flight Attendants were a model of professionalism as they performed their safety responsibilities in an exemplary fashion throughout a very tense situation. As you also know, a deadheading Flight Attendant was later arrested in connection with the incident. APFA is not presently a party to the investigation. Your immediate attention is needed!

Last week, we posted two additional ACTION ALERTS on the Capwiz page of the APFA web site on the issue of Flight Attendant fatigue and safety and security training. Please pass the word to all of your flying partners, and ask their assistance in contacting congress on these very important issues. You may use the Capwiz feature by clicking on the Government Affairs page of the APFA web site, then click on Capwiz and e-mail your Senator asking for their support and requesting that they sign on the letters from Senators Boxer and Hollings. Senator Hollings letter is asking the TSA to develop a basic Safety and Security Training Program for all Flight attendants. Senator Boxer’s letter is asking the FAA to review and recommend changes to the flight attendant duty and layover rest regulations for flight attendants. Once you have sent your letter, click on TELL-A-FRIEND. This allows you to send up to six flight attendant friends an e-mail message and allow them to respond with their own letter. We must all pull together and send these letters soon, as we only have until the middle of June. You may also obtain a list of phone numbers for the senate offices by going to the Government affairs page of the APFA web site and clicking on 108th Congress-U. S. Senate. We need our voices to be heard in Washington, so log onto the APFA web site and start sending those letters and making those calls.

Taking you around APFA:

From the Health Department: Unexpected turbulence is the leading cause of Flight Attendant injuries. Anytime that you experience sudden significant turbulence, with limited or no warning, take immediate action to protect yourself. If a jumpseat is not close by, occupy a passenger seat and strap in. If no seats are available, sit on the floor and hold onto a stationary object. Do not perform compliance checks at this time. Remain seated until receiving further instructions from the Captain. Do not attempt to stow carts. Angle carts and engage the brakes. Instruct passengers to hold on to the carts. If possible, remove hot liquids from the top and place inside the cart. If not, place items on floor and cover with a blanket, if available. If you are able to communicate with the cockpit, do so by describing the turbulence in terms of FAA definitions. For example, “Captain, this is Flight Attendant #2 in the back. Walking and food service is impossible. We are taking our seats and strapping in. Injuries to the crew and passengers are unknown at this time.” This will help the Captain put the turbulence that you are experiencing into better perspective. If any passenger or crew sustains an injury due to turbulence, notify the cockpit immediately. Seek emergency medical treatment if necessary. Submit an AMR Event report and report your injury to the company by submitting an Accident Notification Report with a flight service manager or MOD. For more information, refer to the updated turbulence procedures that may be found in the July 1, 04 revision of the in-flight manual.

The Contract Administration Department would like to alert you of the new procedures for Family Leave (FMLA). Beginning June 1, 2004, you must notify your Flight Service Manager of your need for FMLA as soon as possible, but no later than 2 calendar days from the date you return to work. The return to work date is identified as flying, attending training, an available or reserve day, or a DO following the absence. You are then required to provide certification to AA Medical within 15 calendar days of notifying the company of your need for FMLA. If the treating healthcare provider submits incomplete information, the complete information must be submitted to AA Medical within 15 calendar days from the date the letter is mailed notifying the employee of the need for additional information.

The Safety Department would like to remind you that the FAA is currently conducting observations aboard our aircraft. As always, it is important to ensure that your manuals are up-to-date, you are in possession of your FAA required equipment, and continue challenging all individuals for proper identifications. We have been notified that the FAA is issuing individual fines to Flight Attendants. For your continued safety, while on layovers try to always travel with other crewmembers. Please stay in well lit areas and around the general public. We discourage that you travel alone if at all possible. We encourage Flight Attendants to visit the SSI Web site for the very latest safety and security information. The web site has recently been updated. The SSI Web site can only be accessed through the Flight Service Web site.

The Hotel Department would like to remind you that the APFA continues to meet with the company to discuss the issue of both the Paris and Rome long layover hotels. The hotel review was conducted in January 2004. We are very disappointed that to date the company has not yet made a decision. We will continue to update you with any new information via the hotline and the APFA web site.

In Industry News:

On Friday, May 28th, the American Eagle Flight Attendants conducted Informational Picketing around the system. The event was a huge success with over 500 American Eagle Flight Attendants attending the demonstrations. They were joined by Pilots, Ground Agents, and Flight Attendants from American Airlines. The American Eagle Flight Attendants have been in negotiations since May of 2001.

On Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration fined AMR Corporation $2.5 million. The fines were related to maintenance, flight operations, training and record keeping, and safety. AMR Officials said the issues included such items as placing the wrong safety cards in the airplane seatback pockets. The settlement also covered issues with American Eagle and Reno Air, which American Ailines purchased in 1998.

That’s it for this edition of the APFA Hotline. Please visit our web site at www.www.apfa.org for more information.

There are currently 5,760 Flight Attendants on furlough.

Thanks for calling.