6.15.05

Hello, this is Denise Pointer with an InfoRep Hotline message for Wednesday, June 15, 2005.

Next Wednesday, over 300 of your fellow AA employees will meet in Washington, D.C., to continue our lobbying efforts on pension reform. Thank you to all the flight attendants who volunteered to work the two charter flights and attend this lobby day. We sincerely appreciate your efforts and your dedication to the cause!

The Contract Department has advised us that effective July 2, the company will no longer require Flight Attendants to have the American Flagship Service (AFS) qualification in order to fly a transcon trip. This training will be available on a voluntary basis however it will no longer be a requirement to bid and hold a transcon flight.

Thank you to all the InfoReps who agreed to serve as InfoRep Captains for their respective bases. To view the new list, please go to www.www.apfa.org, and then click on the InfoRep web page.

As many of you already know, the Company has agreed to allow reserve Flight Attendants the ability to trip trade his/her reserve assignment(s) during a nine (9) day test period. The test period will include reserve trips scheduled to depart on July 2, 2005 – July 10, 2005. Please go to the APFA Scheduling Department’s web page at www.www.apfa.org to read all the specifics and details.

APFA’s Safety Department wants to remind all of us that with the summer weather come severe thunderstorms that increase the potential for turbulence. APFA continues to receive reports of Flight Attendant injuries while trying to complete seatbelt compliance checks in turbulence. Travis Blower, Cabin Safety Inspector for the FAA, has confirmed to the APFA Safety Department that during turbulence when the seatbelt sign is illuminated only a PA advising passengers to fasten their seatbelts is required. Flight Attendants should not jeopardize their own safety during turbulence to check seatbelt compliance.

Just a reminder: APFA’s retirement specialist will be at LGA on June 16, 2:00 p.m. Future seminars include SFO June 27, DFW June 30, BOS August 9 IAD, August 3 and DCA August 4.

A little bit of good news from the Hotel Department for those of you who layover in BGI and POS: Your new home away from home in BGI will soon be the brand new five-star Hilton Barbados Resort. This resort opened on June 13, 2005 and is spectacular. In POS, crews will soon be moving to the brand new Marriott Courtyard, adjacent to the Movie Town Mall.

Rumors seem to come in waves. Recently the tide has been out, but change is always a given. The one big rumor the past few weeks has already been addressed in the APFA general hotline, but I think it’s worth repeating. Please remember that as an InfoRep, we all agreed to disseminate the truth, so here goes…

Many have asked if APFA’s Merger and Acquisition Committee were in "secret talks" to give TWA their seniority back. The answer is NO. This topic has been ruled on – in APFA’s favor – in the Federal District Court of New York since November of 2004. No one is in "secret" talks to give TWA their seniority.

The Summer Skyword goes out to the membership this week and there is a letter signed by APFA and APA regarding Professional Standards. Please remember – if you have an issue you feel strongly needs to be addressed and involves another union member, don’t get the Company involved – try Professional Standards. After all – you would want the same courtesy extended to you. The extensions of each base’s professional standards reps are also listed in Skyword for all of you to use.

That’s it for now. Don’t forget, if you have not notified us that you want to remain active in the InfoRep program, please do so by July 15th. Again, thanks for all you do.

Denise Pointer, DFW InfoRep
InfoRep Program
1004 W. Euless Boulevard
Euless, TX 76040
817-540-0108 Ext. 8743
[email protected]