6.05.23 – APFA PHX Base Brief – July 2023 Staffing and Allocations

July 2023 PHX Staffing and Allocations

Monday, June 5, 2023

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As many of you know, we will again see some of our most senior PHX-Based Flight Attendants drafted for Reserve duty in July. We have also informed the Company that if they continue with the high Reserve numbers for August, we will not have enough Reserve-eligible Flight Attendants to fulfill their requirements. This will be the fourth time since the displacement that we have been in this situation. There are only two ways to resolve this blatant violation of seniority. Either clear the vacancy list and bring in new hires to PHX or set the Reserve percentage to the system average of 22.9%, a difference of 57 Flight Attendants.

On Saturday, June 3, 2023, APFA Base Representatives had the monthly staffing and allocations call with the Company. On this call for PHX were Robin Agee and Secorra Flowers. We were advised that PHX has 337 Reserves for July which equals 27.5% of the base. CLT has the highest percentage of Reserves with 28%, LAX at 24.6%, and DFW slightly behind at 24.0%. We continue to sound like a broken record each month but will not stop until these percentages are reduced. Higher Reserve numbers require higher line averages for line holders, which hinders flexibility. We pointed out that every other base, except the west coast bases of PHX and LAX, has received new hires, and their absenteeism rate is considerably lower. When we asked again for our vacancy list to be cleared and new hires sent to PHX, we were told that would not occur as long as the vacancy list continues to be high for PHX. We currently have 142 Flight Attendants on the vacancy transfer list waiting to get into PHX. Of that number, 25 have LAX as their first choice.

As for allocations, our flight hours will see a decrease in hours. In June we had 68,101 flight hours, and in July, we will have 67,918. This is a decrease of 183 flight hours. The percentage of 1-days will decrease by 1% in July to 26%, 2-days will decrease by 2% to 34% of our flying, with an increase in 3-days to 37 %, and our 4-day sequences will remain at 3% with the majority commutable. ODANs will decrease slightly from 20.7 to 19.1. The ODANs will continue to have several with over 8 hours on the ground.

There are no significant changes in our sequences. As long as the Company continues to use one solution when building sequences system-wide with the Optimizer, all bases will continue getting like sequences without variations that will appeal to each respective base. We do have Planning’s commitment to continue to try and reduce the sit time with which every base has voiced their displeasure; however, some may be necessary due to aircraft swaps and airport logistics.

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July Critical Period

The upcoming critical period is from July 1-7. Remember these dates if you would like to earn an Incentive Point by working on all your operational assignments during this period. Per the Attendance and Performance Policy, an additional point will be added for a sick call during a critical period unless the sick is a result of a medical leave of absence approved before the bidding period for the critical period. The complete guide can be viewed on the FS Website by clicking here.

Please note that July 4th is not considered one of the nine designated holidays that receive additional pay. To see the APFA Holiday Pay Hotline, click here.

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On Thursday, June 1, 2023, a group of Flight Attendants met with LSG Sky Chefs to discuss catering issues plaguing our flights out of PHX. We want to thank Helen White for taking the bull by the horns and being part of the solution to these ongoing issues, arranging a group meeting to discuss our concerns, and tour the LSG facility. After meeting with Danny Bowen, the new LSG PHX General Manager, and Jay Ferran, Regional Manager of Catering Ops PHX/LAX/West Region, we have determined that the glassware is the issue that most plague our base at this time. Since the issue of the dirty film on the glasses was brought to  LSG’s attention last month, they have narrowed the problem to the RO water system. They are optimistic that this problem will be resolved in the next few weeks.

We also discussed the ice problem out of PHX, especially with the summer months ahead of us and the 100+ temperatures we see out of PHX daily. LSG has committed to resolving the “melted ice” issue that has plagued us, including adding an extra dry ice block to the ice at their expense (AA only pays for one dry ice per drawer).

During our meeting, we learned that both Danny and Jay read every Flight Attendant report that is sent to them from our Flight Attendants. They have asked that we continue to send in the reports so that they can correct issues as they occur. We did voice that when Flight Attendants never see a response or any changes, we naturally determine that writing these reports is falling on deaf ears. Now that we are assured that is not the case, we ask that Flight Attendants continue to send in the reports.

With the return of the fruit and cheese plate to “Buy on Board” and the yogurt and granola bowl, we were asked to request that all Flight Attendants please input every  “Buy on Board” that you comp into your EFB. If the Company only sees that one or two meals are sold but no comps on the flight, they will think that the others were thrown away, and we will see our inventory for that route diminish. We all know several Executive Platinum (EP) passengers are in the main cabin on most of our flights, and Unaccompanied Minors (UMs) increase tremendously during the summer months. On most flights, by handing out the complementary buy on board to EPs and UMs, we have nothing to sell to our other passengers. This will not happen if the Company truly knows what we are comping on the flights and what is left over to sell, especially on our longer flights over 3+ hours.

In the future, we plan to have a designated PHX Base Council Representative (BCR) who will talk with LSG on an ongoing basis to help resolve the reported problems of the PHX Flight Attendants.

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Contract Tidbits

• We have seen an increase in the usage, by Crew Tracking, of our Lineholders as Reserves. It is always good to know your contract. Sections 10.J., 10.K., 12.M., 11. E. and 11.F. of the JCBA should be bookmarked.
• Should you receive a Missed Trip (TM) for missing an acknowledgment as a Reserve, please call Scheduling and immediately go back on a RAP. This will keep your guarantee, and if you get an assignment, move the TM to a Late Report (LR). Of course, while it shouldn’t be necessary, we suggest you always check to ensure the sequence is acknowledged and get a screenshot. Or you can always call Scheduling and acknowledge the sequence.
• The new 10-hour rest requirement ensures you will receive a minimum of ten (10) hours of rest from release to report. Contractually we are still afforded eight (8) hours behind the door. If you are delayed due to hotel or transportation issues and have less than eight (8) behind the door, you must notify Crew Tracking to advise them of the delay and have them adjust your rest accordingly.

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Update your iPhone EFB to v16.5 by June 8

iOS v16.5 will become the new FAA-required minimum on Thursday, June 8, 2023, so you must update before then to be in FAA compliance.

Updating Your EFB Instructions

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Inflight Quarterly Web-Based Training

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Please reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

In Solidarity,

Robin Agee
APFA PHX Base President
480-238-2303
[email protected]

Secorra Flowers
APFA PHX Base Vice President
602-551-8116
[email protected]