1.26.18 – (LUS) – APFA JCBA Udate – Rotating Reserve FAQs

•  How many flying hours are in the base?
•  What is the seniority of all the Flight Attendants?
•  Who is transferring in and out of the base?
•  Did those transferring in meet their reserve obligation and what rotation are those Flight Attendants on?
• Who will choose to bid onto reserve?

How does Senior Bump (JCBA 12.A.3.b) work?

Flight Attendants have always had the option of bidding onto reserve in months that they normally would not have been required to be on reserve. By utilizing Senior Bump, Flight Attendants will retain the option of bidding onto reserve in any month they can hold reserve in seniority order. Bidding onto reserve (Senior Bump) will occur prior to the PBS bidding process.

If a Flight Attendant is on a different rotation, they may alter the rotation they are currently on. For example, if a Flight Attendant is scheduled to be on reserve in March but bids onto reserve in February, that would be their new reserve month, and would set their new rotation.

What happens if I have vacation during a reserve month?

If a Flight Attendant is projected to be on reserve for any given month and they have vacation in that month, it would meet their reserve obligation, regardless of the number of vacation days they have for that given month.

Example: Flight Attendant Sally is scheduled to be on reserve for April. Sally has seven days of vacation in April. Sally has met her reserve obligation for that month.

If I have more than three vacation days in a month I senior bump, will I meet my reserve obligation?

Use Sally from the above example. She has the same seven days of vacation in April, but her reserve month is May. Sally would like to change her rotation by bidding reserve in April, so she senior bumps onto reserve in April.

Because Sally has more than three days of vacation for April, it would not count as her reserve month, and she could subsequently be assigned reserve in May. In short, she would not have met her obligation for April and could (if needed) be assigned reserve in May.

If I senior bump onto a month in which I have three or fewer days of vacation, will it meet my reserve obligation, and change my rotation?

Yes, it would meet your reserve obligation and change your rotation.

Example: Robert is serving a 1 on/ 3 off rotation. If his reserve month was scheduled for June and he successfully bumped onto reserve for May with three or less days of vacation, it would qualify as his reserve month. He would then be a lineholder for June, July and August.

When will I know if I am serving reserve for the next month?

A Flight Attendant will know prior to bidding in PBS if they are a reserve or a lineholder. There will be a new tool in Crew Portal called the Lineholder Reserve Designator (LRD) that will allow a Flight Attendant to designate if they would like to be on reserve or a lineholder for a given month. The LRD will be open the week prior to PBS bidding opening. This will all be processed prior to the opening of PBS in seniority order. We will have more information for you prior to implementation of reserve rotation and the new JCBA PBS.

May I take a VLOA on a reserve month?

Yes. If you hold a VLOA for a month you were scheduled to be on reserve, you would fulfill your reserve obligation for that month. It will not count as your reserve month if you take a VLOA and senior bump onto reserve.

If I am not needed for my reserve month, or I am successful in bidding off of reserve for the month, will the following month become my new reserve obligation month?

Yes, if it is your rotation month and reserve does not reach your seniority, the following month may become your reserve month. Your obligation is not complete until you actually serve your reserve obligation.

Paul Hartshorn Jr.
APFA National Contract Chair
[email protected]