9.10.15 – (LUS) – Annual Vacation Bid

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Thursday, September 10, 2015

Annual Vacation Bid

The primary vacation bid for January 2016 through April 2017 will open for submission via CatCrew on September 15th @ 2100 ET. Primary bids must be completed and filed on or before October 15. A Flight Attendant who is not awarded any or all of her/his vacation in the primary bid, who failed to bid in the primary vacation bid, or who has carry forward/extra days to bid may bid on open vacation days in the secondary vacation bid to be completed on or before November 15th.

Currently, LUS Flight Attendants accrue vacation each month they remain in active status. In September/October, the vacation bid is issued, listing the total amount of Vacation Days that each Flight Attendant will have accrued during the year, even though three months of that year – October, November, December – have not yet accrued days. Therefore, the vacation days have actually been awarded in advance of their accrual. If a Flight Attendant leaves active status during the last three months of the year, an adjustment must be made after the fact. All of the days that have been accrued are then taken in the following calendar year.

Example 1: In the past, a 26-year LUS Flight Attendant accrued a total of 35 days of vacation in the 2014 calendar year to be used in calendar year 2015. Vacation Days are accrued evenly January through December of 2014. Those days are then placed in the 2014/2015 September/October Vacation Bid – even though the days have not yet been accrued for October, November and December of 2014.

Example 2: Going forward, A 26-year New American Flight Attendant accrues a total of 35 days of vacation in the 2017 calendar year to be used in 2018. Vacation days will be accrued evenly January through December of 2017. Those days will then be placed in the 2018/2019 Vacation Bid. All Vacation Days awarded will have already been accrued and are available to use from May 2018 through April 2019.

The amount of days accrued by each Flight Attendant has not changed with the new JCBA. However, there must be a transition from the old system to the new.

In order to move from a calendar year system to a fiscal year system, 2015 will be a transition year. LUS Flight Attendants will bid vacation earned in the 2015 calendar year for the period covering January 2016 through April 2017. Flight Attendants had a one-time opportunity to carry over vacation already awarded in 2015. The carry-over days will be available for bid in the 2nd round of the January 2016 through April 2017 vacation bid period.

For example: A 26-year LUS Flight Attendant accrued a total of 35 days of vacation in the 2015 calendar year to be used in transition year 2016/17. Vacation Days are accrued evenly January through December of 2015. This Flight Attendant also elects to cancel a vacation awarded scheduled for June 3 – 10, 2015. Those 7 days will be added to the 35 days accrued in 2015 for a total of 42 Vacation Days to be awarded in the January 2016 – April 2017 Vacation Bid.

Once the LUS vacation transition is complete, the vacation bid will take place in February/March 2017. A Flight Attendant shall submit their vacation bid based upon their accrual from January 2016 through December 2016 for use in May 2017 through April 2018.

Vacation Bid Questions and Answers:

Can I carry-over my filler days from 2015 in to 2016?

Yes, per the 2013 Redbook Agreement, filler days can be carried over into next year.

Are LUS Flight Attendants losing vacation days during this transition?

No vacation days will be lost during this transition. A Flight Attendant who accrued 35 days in 2014 will bid and be awarded 35 days in 2015. A Flight Attendant who accrued 35 days in 2015 will bid and be awarded 35 days in 2016 and the first quarter of 2017. No days are lost; they are just bid over a different period. Instead of using a calendar year for utilization of vacation we will be in a fiscal year beginning May and ending in the following April.

If I chose to cancel vacation in 2015 and carry-over these additional days of vacation for the upcoming bid, when will I bid for these days?

The carry-over days will be available for bid in the 2nd round of the January 2016 through April 2017 vacation bid process.

Can I use my current filler day allotment to be part of the 7 vacations days to be carried forward into the 2016/2017 bid period?

Yes, any used filler days may be part of the 7 vacation days to be carried forward. It is the option of the Flight Attendant if they would like to carry forward regularly scheduled 2015 vacation days, 2015 filler days or a combination thereof.

How many vacation days do I receive for use from January 2016 through April 2017?

January 2016 – April 2017 LUS Flight Attendant Vacation

Who do I contact with questions?

If you have any questions, please call Flight Attendant Vacations at: