07.08.05

This is Leslie Mayo with the APFA Hotline for Friday, July 8, 2005. Please remember our 4,185 furloughed flight attendants and our 12 members serving full time in the military.

A quick FYI: effective July 9, 2005, all London layover crews will be returning to the downtown London hotel. If you need additional information, please contact the APFA Hotel Department or Contract Desk.

The APFA Online Bid Sheet Survey continues to be available for your input – just log on to APFA’s website at www.www.apfa.org to complete it. APFA has created this online survey so that you’ll have a chance to tell us your concerns about our bid sheets. The survey will be available via the website for another two weeks. APFA urges you to speak out by participating in this survey.

The U.S. House Transportation Aviation Subcommittee will hold a hearing on July 14 regarding passenger cell phone use on commercial flights. The FAA proposed a rule change earlier this year, mainly fueled by the requests of business travelers, but flight attendants, including APFA, and many passengers are against changing the rule. The FAA associate administrator for safety is scheduled to testify.

Oil prices closed Thursday at $60.73 a barrel in New York trading, up 19 cents a barrel from this time last week. While it surely isn’t helping AA return to profitability, Delta Air Lines has repeatedly warned that the continuing high oil prices might drive it into Chapter 11 this year. United Airlines, already in bankruptcy for 2 1/2 years, blames high oil prices for preventing it from coming out of bankruptcy this summer as planned.

Major airline shares fell Thursday after the bombings in London. Delta, which gets 15% of its revenue from flights to Europe, was hit hardest. U.S. airlines reported a surge of passenger inquiries Thursday, but only a few cancellations after the morning bombing in London.

The union representing Northwest mechanics, cleaners and custodians asked the National Mediation Board yesterday to declare an “impasse” and release the union from the negotiations. If the NMB grants the request, it will start the 30-day cooling off period before a strike. Northwest recently made the same request to the NMB but was rejected.

That’s it for this week. Thanks for calling the hotline.