8.03.21 – EVLOA Return – Vacation FAQ’s

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

EVLOA Return – Vacation FAQ’s

Today, the Company published the EVLOA Return Awards on the Flight Service page. 3,180 Flight Attendants will be returning to the line in November and December. Many Flight Attendants returning from an EVLOA have questions regarding their vacation days. It is important to note that while on EVLOA you did not accrue vacation. We have addressed some of the frequently asked questions below.

Q. What happens to my vacation during my EVLOA?
A. Vacation days during your EVLOA are cancelled two months prior to the month in which the vacation is scheduled. These vacation days are then converted to unscheduled vacation days. These unscheduled days are available for bidding during the Monthly Rebid (MRB) process. Unscheduled vacation days can be rebid to any day that falls outside of your EVLOA.

Q. What is the MRB?
A. The Vacation Monthly Rebid (MRB) is a monthly process which allows you to trade your scheduled vacation days by bidding for days not awarded in the annual bid and/or days vacated by Flight Attendants due to retirement, leaves of absence, or as a result of a previous monthly rebid. You may also use the MRB to bid your unscheduled vacation days in the current vacation cycle to any period that falls outside of your EVLOA.

Q. What is the MRB matrix?
A. The MRB matrix shows the vacation days available for bidding during the MRB process. These are vacation days that were not awarded in the annual bid and/or vacation days vacated by Flight Attendants due to retirement, leaves of absence, or as a result of a previous monthly rebid.

Red denotes the day is unavailable to rebid, while green is available to rebid.

Q. Can I use ETB to trade my remaining scheduled vacation days?
A. Yes. You may trade scheduled vacation days in ETB with another Flight Attendant, provided you are trading to vacation days that fall outside of your EVLOA.

Q. I have vacation in February. I was originally scheduled to be on EVLOA through October 2022 and was planning on my February vacation going unscheduled and bidding for it in the secondary round of vacation bidding for the 2022-2023 cycle. Will my February vacation be cancelled? 
A. No. Any vacation that falls outside of your EVLOA as a result of being recalled from your leave will not be cancelled. You still have the option to use the MRB to move your scheduled vacation days to any period that falls outside of your EVLOA, but those days will not go unscheduled and will not carry forward to next year’s cycle.

Q. I do not want to use the Monthly Rebid (MRB) to bid my unscheduled days during this current vacation cycle. What will happen to those vacation days? 
A. If you choose not to rebid unscheduled vacation days in MRB during the current vacation cycle, they will carry forward and will be available to bid in the secondary round of the vacation bidding for the 2022-2023 vacation cycle.

Q. I currently have days showing in my Unscheduled Balance. What is the last MRB process for 2021-2022 that I can participate in before these days will only be available to bid in the secondary round of vacation bidding for the 2022-2023 cycle?
A. The MRB in February 2022 for April vacation days will be last month you can bid to use your unscheduled vacation days in the 2021-2022 vacation cycle. After the February MRB, any unscheduled days will carry forward and be available to bid in the secondary round of vacation bidding for the 2022-2023 cycle.

Q. I currently have vacation in November. I am now returning from my EVLOA in December. Can I move my November vacation to December via the MRB?
A. Yes. If you are on EVLOA and you still have vacation days scheduled during your leave that have not been cancelled, you have the option to use the MRB to move them to any period that falls outside of your EVLOA.

Q. How do I know how many unscheduled vacation days I have?
A. You can access your vacation accrual information via Crew Portal. In Crew Portal click on Monthly Bids > Vacation.

Your unscheduled days are shown next to “Unscheduled Balance.”

Your “Carry Forward Balance” shows the number of vacation days you carried over from last year’s vacation cycle to the current vacation cycle.

Click on the Monthly Rebid tab to input your bids for the MRB.

For help with instructions on how to use the Monthly Rebid, please refer to the Vacation Guide in Crew Change.

The Monthly Rebid timeline:

Q. I do not remember when my vacation is. Where can I find my scheduled vacation days? 
A. While in the Vacation application, select Vacation Actions. Your scheduled vacation days will be displayed as shown in the example below:

Q. I am currently QI. Can I use the Monthly Rebid if my qualifications are not current?
A. If you are QI, you can input a bid in the Monthly Rebid (MRB), however you won’t receive an award. Once your qualifications are current, you can reach out to [email protected] and if you could have held the days in the MRB, the vacations department will manually award you.

Q. What is the difference between Unscheduled Days and Filler Days? 
A. Unscheduled Days are vacation days that are cancelled due to leaves of absence, such as EVLOA. Filler Days are vacation days that you can set aside during annual vacation bidding. It’s important to note that Filler Days are not in addition to, but are a part of your yearly accrual. If you set aside Filler Days during the annual vacation bidding period, you may bid for them two months prior to the month you want to use them. The bidding period opens at 1200 CT on the 11th and closes at 1200 CT on the 20th.

Q. Since I am now returning during 2021, how much vacation will I accrue for next year’s bidding cycle? 
A. The below chart shows the prorated vacation accrual, depending on your years of service. For example, you were hired in 1999 and your yearly accrual is 31 days (JCBA 8.A). You’re planning on returning in November, so you would accrue vacation for two months. Your total accrual for 2021 would be five days.

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Contact APFA for Assistance

The APFA Contract and Scheduling Desk is available at 817-540-0108, Monday through Friday from 0700 – 1900 (CDT) to answer questions. Our APFA Live Chat online is available from 1500 – 2300 (CDT), Monday through Friday. You may also use APFA Live Chat on Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, from 0900 – 1700 (CDT). The live chat link may be found on the home page of APFA.org.

In Solidarity,

Jeff Petersen
APFA National Contract Chair
[email protected]

Marti McMillan
APFA National Scheduling Chair
[email protected]

Renée Mayer
APFA JCBA Specialist
[email protected]