3.13.23 – Secondary Round of 2023-24 Vacation Bidding Closes Tomorrow

Monday, March 13, 2023

Secondary Round of 2023-24 Vacation Bidding Closes Tomorrow

The Secondary Round of vacation bidding will close tomorrow, Tuesday, March 14 at 1200 (CT). The Secondary Round allows you to bid for any remaining vacation days not awarded in the Primary Round of vacation bidding. Additionally, any carry forward days are bid in the Secondary Round. You may only be awarded from the remaining dates available at your base. You will be awarded at your seniority until all your vacation days are awarded, or the system is unable to satisfy any more of your preferences. All vacation days will be awarded or assigned upon the completion of the Secondary Round of bidding.

The Final Results of the 2023-24 Vacation Award will be posted on Friday, March 17 at 1200 (CT). To view your award details, go to Crew Portal > Monthly Bids > Vacation > Annual > Summary. To view your award details, click on the Show Detail button.

If you have any questions, you may email [email protected] or open a ticket on the Support Tab on Crew Portal.

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Q1: What happens if I cannot hold my vacation bid in the Primary or Secondary Rounds?

A: The assignment process uses the remaining vacation days not awarded in the primary or secondary award. The remaining days are assigned in seniority order according to the following logic:

1. Reverse chronological order starting with December 31 through May 2, then
2. Reverse chronological order starting with May 1 through January 1

Vacation days are assigned in blocks of seven (7) days. If you have less than seven (7) days remaining, or there are no seven (7) day blocks left, the assignment is made to the first block that matches the amount of your remaining days. However, based on availability during the assignment process, your remaining number of days may not be awarded as a single block.

Q2: Can I change my vacation days that were awarded in the Primary Round during the Secondary Round?

A: No. Primary Round awards are final. You will have the opportunity to change vacation days once the Vacation Monthly Rebid (MRB) process begins.

Q3: What is a Filler Day and why would I want to designate Filler Days?

A: A Filler Day is an accrued vacation day you may set aside during the annual vacation bid. You may set aside up to 20% (or a maximum of six (6) days) of your vacation days as Filler Days. These days are a part of your annual accrual of vacation days, and once designated are not eligible to be awarded in the Secondary Round. If you designate Filler Days during the annual vacation bid, you will bid to schedule the days during the monthly Filler Day bids throughout the year. You may want to utilize Filler Days to bid to have a holiday off that you cannot hold in the annual bid or to add one more day to an existing vacation block.

Q4: What is a Vacation Extension (VEX) day?

A: A Flight Attendant who is scheduled for at least seven (7) consecutive vacation days may elect to place up to a total of four (4) days off (at sole discretion of the Flight Attendant) before, after, or split on either side of such vacation period. The VEX days will act as a pre-planned absence and will carry neither a value for pay nor credit. Such days off will be counted toward a Reserve’s scheduled Golden Days. Such block of four days, or portion thereof, may be extended into the next bid period. Such election shall be honored unless the PBS program cannot produce a solution honoring such election.

Q5: When can I start trading, rebidding and adding VEX days for my 2023-2024 vacation?

A: The below chart contains the timeline for this month to start trading your May (and later) vacation days:

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APFA Contract & Scheduling Desk
Call 817-540-0108
Monday – Friday, 0700 – 1900 (CT)

APFA Live Messaging
Monday – Friday: 1500 – 2300 (CT)
Weekends and Holidays: 0900 – 1700 (CT)
(Link may be found on homepage of APFA.org)

In Solidarity,

Jeff Petersen
APFA National Contract Chair

Marti McMillan
APFA National Scheduling Chair
[email protected]