1.11.23 – APFA LAX Base Brief – February 2023 Staffing and Allocations

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

February 2023 Staffing and Allocations

2023 is here and we face old and new challenges as we bring in the New Year.

Once again, this management has singled out the West Coast bases for higher reserve percentages. PHX sits at 23.3% and LAX at 21.6%, while the system reserve percentage sits at 18.6%.

Meanwhile, they complain about sick time usage while subjecting the West Coast bases to the most difficult work challenges systemwide…higher reserve seniority due to their refusal to return our displaced flight attendants; refusal to process vacancy transfers to LAX, and refusal to bring in new hires. Add to this the West Coast bases’ body clock issues, and they should see why the West Coast bases suffer serious challenges to reliability. Their arguments are nothing more than an excuse for their poor planning.

Quite frankly, due to the fact that we have not gotten back our displaced flight attendants and have not received new hires, our reserve percentages should be significantly lower than the lowest percentage systemwide.

Against this backdrop of tone-deaf management, which refuses to fix the system that they admit is broken. We work for an airline plagued by bad decisions at the top. The grim product; the operational failures; and the way in which management chooses to flee routes that could become viable if given a chance point to an airline in disarray.
And WE are NOT the problem.

It is worth repeating. Is it any wonder why AA now ranks in virtually every metric at the very bottom of the industry?

LAX Total Block Hours: 95,222

Satellite and Co-Terminal Block Hours:

• ONT – 4,137
• SNA – 6,030
• LAS – 1,440
• SAN – 1,918

International

• LAX-LHR – Increase from 10/week r/t on 77W to two daily roundtrip on 77W
• LAX-HND – Awaiting the announcement of second daily roundtrip

Domestic

• Daily wide-body turns to CLT, PHL
• Daily wide-body layover PHL
• Daily wide-body MIA redeye
• Intermittent wide-body turn LAX-DFW-PHX-LAX
• Many repeat narrow-body sequences from December and January

Please send your sequence suggestions and critiques to Matt Stoner at [email protected].

Systemwide Picketing
Tuesday, January 24th
11:00 am – 1:00 pm (local time)

APFA Contract ACTION Team Sign Up

We will be picketing again in front of T4 at LAX on January 24, 2023 between 1100 and 1300.

We DESERVE far better than we are getting from AA. I know we all lead busy, stressful lives. This is our future, though. Please come and demonstrate that we are sick and tired. We are sick and tired of being lied to; abused; treated like robots and dismissed.

I know that many of us wish we could go on strike tomorrow, but we are restricted by the timeline set out in the Railway Labor Act. I am planning a series of strike preparedness emails and one will be devoted to explaining the timeline.

Regarding picketing and negotiations-related activities, I have come up with some more ideas as to how to demonstrate to AA that we have had it.  I am due to meet with the APFA HDQ National Picket Planning Committee this week to share some of my ideas. Please also share with us your ideas. To volunteer to assist with Contract Action, and also to share your ideas, please contact our LAX Contract Action Ambassador, Evelyn Konen at [email protected].

California Sick 2023

There are no changes to the California Sick provisions for 2023.

LAX Employee Bus

We are still following up on reports from our coworkers that the drivers have been instructed to not reopen the bus doors once they are closed for departure.   Still following up.

Reschedules

Just a reminder that the November 12, 2022 LAX BASE UPDATE includes detailed information about your rights and responsibilities when being rescheduled. Should you need another copy, please email me at [email protected].

AA Pulls out of LGB…Again

It was just announced that AA is pulling out yet again from LGB. AA’s schizophrenic route planning has put an end to my hope that we would once again have a LGB co-terminal out of which to operate, offering another option to flight attendants living south of LAX.

On a related note, no further news about re-establishing BUR as a co-terminal. The company was somewhat recently making overtures to have flying sequences originate again out of BUR. I will be following up on this with management yet again.

That’s all for now. Safe flying, and see you at the January 24th picket!

In Solidarity,

John Nikides
APFA LAX Base President
[email protected]