6.14.16 – PHX Base Council Meeting Next Week/Commuter Policy/Jumpseat Policy/Weight Restricted Flights/PBS Buddy Bidding/PHX Base Contact Information

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

 

• APFA PHX Base Council Meeting – Wednesday, June 22
• Commuter Policy
• Jumpseat Policy
• Weight Restricted Flights
• PBS Buddy Bidding
• PHX Base Contact Information

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APFA PHX Base Council Meeting – Wednesday, June 22

Commuter Policy – 2014 JCBA Section 37.I.

The rules concerning Flight Attendants who live in a city other than her/his crew base and commute to her/his assigned crew base on American Airlines or its wholly owned carriers will be as follows:

1. The rules set forth in this Agreement apply only to Flight Attendants who designate themselves as commuters with Flight Service via the Company Intranet and list an airport served by American Airlines or its wholly owned carriers.

2. The commuting Flight Attendant must make all reasonable efforts to arrive in crew base at least one (1) hour prior to scheduled check-in or the start of the Reserve availability period.

3. If the Flight Attendant’s first scheduled commuting flight cancels or is delayed as a result of weather, mechanical, Company convenience, or the equipment is downgraded within twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled departure, and the subsequent scheduled flight for which she/he is listed for travel cancels as a result of weather, mechanical, Company convenience, equipment downgrades within twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled departure, the flight is delayed for at least thirty (30) minutes, or the flight is full, the Flight Attendant shall notify Crew Schedule as soon as possible prior to her/his scheduled check-in and Crew Schedule will have the option of assigning the commuter to any one of the following:

• a. Split the Flight Attendant back on her/his original sequence;
• b. Assign the Flight Attendant to any comparable sequence, i.e., same duty days;
• c. Release the Flight Attendant from her/his duty and drop her/his original sequence. The Flight Attendant will be responsible to make up the time lost, if possible.

4. The first three (3) Unable to Commute incidents of the nature described in Paragraph 3, will not be treated as dependability infractions so long as the Flight Attendant provides the required supporting documentation from the Reservations system to her/his supervisor within seven (7) days of the Unable To Commute incident(s).

Qualifies Under Commuter Policy:

Example One: The first flight is canceled and the second flight is full. This does qualify under the Commuter policy.

Example Two: The first flight is full and the second flight is cancelled. This does not qualify under the Commuter policy because the first flight being full is not sufficient.

5. A Reserve who is assigned a future trip and released from Reserve duty pursuant to Reserve Duty, Section 12.J.11, and who is unable to arrive in crew base prior to check-in time shall be eligible for the protections of the Commuter policy provided she/he complies with the provisions of Paragraph I.

Jumpseat Policy

Cabin Jumpseat Attire

First Class/Business casual attire is allowed for Cabin jumpseats. Note: Blue jeans without holes/tears are acceptable.

Cabin Jumpseat Award Policy

The Flight Attendant cabin jumpseat is awarded based upon time of check−in within boarding priority category throughout the airline regardless of metal (LAA or LUS). The cabin jumpseat is awarded to the Flight Attendant (including former Legacy US Airways Flight Attendants) who has checked in the earliest. If there is more than one cabin jumpseat, then the second jumpseat will go to the Flight Attendant with the second earliest time, and so on.

Cabin Jumpseat Priority Order:

1. Mainline American Deadheading Flight Attendant who has been requested and voluntarily agrees to occupy the jumpseat;
2. Mainline American Flight Attendant traveling on Company business;
3. Mainline American Flight Attendants for personal reasons;
4. An American Airlines wholly−owned carrier Flight Attendant, i.e., Envoy, Piedmont and PSA Air Flight Attendants;
5. Mainline American Flight Attendant new hire trainee;
6. Flight Service Management holding Flight Attendant qualification.

NOTE: Mainline Cabin jumpseat privileges do not extend to non-owned regional affiliate FAs.

Weight Restricted Flights

• A Flight Attendant can be removed or denied the cabin jumpseat if the flight is weight restricted.
• If the Company agrees that Pilots may not be removed/denied boarding for weight restrictions in the future, then such provision shall also apply to Flight Attendants, in accordance with the 2014 JCBA.
• A Flight Attendant who is removed or denied from occupying a jumpseat due to a weight restriction who consequently misses her/his pairing/sequence, shall have such pairing/sequence qualify under the Commuter Policy.
• If you are denied a jumpseat for weight and balance and the Gate Agents allow a Pilot on the cockpit jumpseat, the Flight Attendant jumpseat should be also available.  If you are removed or denied jumpseat for weight and balance and a Pilot was on the cockpit jumpseat, please contact APFA PHX immediately.

PBS Buddy Bidding

The Buddy Bid option enables a Flight Attendant to Buddy Bid with other Flight Attendants up to the number of positions on the Pairing. PBS places all Flight Attendants in the Buddy Bid just below the Seniority of the most junior Flight Attendant in the Buddy Bid.

1. The Initiator of the Buddy Bid will bid for all the other Buddies utilizing all 7 Layers.
2. The follower(s) must Bid all 7 Layers. The first layer will be the buddy request and the following layers will be a back-up bid, in case the Buddy Bid is not able to be honored.
3. The fewer restrictions used; the greater chance of being awarded an entire Line together.
4. Buddy bidding works best when all buddies have similar pre-assignments, i.e. same vacation, similar carry-over time, etc…
5. The follower will have a Target Credit Range set from the minimum required at their seniority up to 90. If the Initiator designates a Target Credit Range above 90 hours and the Follower would like the same, they must include a Target Credit Range in Layer 1 with the Buddy Bid to bid for the higher Target Credit Range.
6. There are two statuses that will appear under the Line Tab for each Buddy Bidder: a. Accepted b. Pending
7. Upon bid closing, any Buddy who did not accept the Buddy Bid request will not be part of the group.
8. Each Flight Attendant can only be in one Buddy Bid group.
9. PBS will process the group’s Prefer Position Order from most senior to junior within the group

Example 1 – Accepting/Denying

Seniority #10, #20, and #30 wish to buddy bid in a group and elect #10 to be the Initiator. #10 would add #20 and #30 into the Buddy with bid; #20 and #30 will receive a notification to accept. Once both Flight Attendants accept the Buddy With request, they will be processed as a group.

Example 2 – Position

Seniority #20 is the Initiator and bids position order FB, FA, FC. PBS will award seniority #20 FB position, seniority #10 FA and seniority #30 FC. If seniority #20 bid position order is FA, FB, FC, then #20 would be awarded FA.

Example 3 – Partial Line Together

Seniority #10 is the group Initiator and wishes to be in a group with number #20 and #30. The optimizer will take the bid of #10 and use it as the group bid. It will award #10 first at #28 seniority level. Then it will award #20 at the next seniority. It will try to build a complete Line based on the group bids. If PBS runs out of group Pairings to complete the Line, it will reprocess #10’s bids to fill the remainder of the Line with Pairings from #10’s subsequent Layers.

Flight Attendant Bidding Resource Center (FABRC)

 Representatives are ready to assist! Call 480-693-8232 or 800-327-0117, option 2 then option 8.

PHX Base Contact Information

PHX Base APFA Representatives can be reached by calling 480-966-1231, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This number is a voicemail system that allows the caller to leave a message for a specific Representative.  

Press:

• 0 to leave a General Message
• 1 to reach the APFA National Contract and Scheduling Help Desk
• 2 for PHX Base President, Joseph Seelye or [email protected] 
• 3 for PHX Base Vice President, Brian Clark or [email protected] 
• 4 for the Mandatory Meeting Hotline
• 5 for the PHX Benefits and Insurance Rep.
• 6 for the PHX Reserve Rep. on Duty or [email protected]

Please allow 24 hours for a Representative to return your call. If your issue is an emergency or requires immediate attention, someone will return your call as soon as possible. 
 

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In Unity,

Joseph Seelye
APFA PHX Base President
[email protected]

Brian Clark
APFA PHX Base Vice President
[email protected]