3.12.24 – Secondary Round Of 2024-25 Vacation Bidding Closes Tomorrow

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Secondary Round of 2024-25 Vacation Bidding Closes Tomorrow

Due to the Primary Vacation Award error that impacted the PHL base, the Secondary Round of vacation bidding will close tomorrow, Wednesday, March 13, 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 cannot 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 2024-25 Vacation Award will be posted on Friday, March 15 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.

Please note: Your 2024-2025 Annual Vacation Primary and Secondary Vacation Awards/Assignments are based on your crew base of record as of January 1, 2024.

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Annual Vacation Bid and Award (AVBA) System Access

To bid for vacation, go to the Crew Portal. Once logged in, click on:

• Monthly Bids > Vacation > Annual > Bidding Ballots  

Click Here for the APFA Vacation Bidding Basics

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Vacation Fiscal Year

The vacation fiscal year includes the May to April contractual months, from May 2 (beginning of May bid month) to May 1 (end of April bid month).

2024-25 Crew Months Calendar

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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 2024-2025 vacation?
A: The below chart contains the timeline for this month to start trading your May 2nd and later vacation days:

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If you have any vacation questions, please open a support ticket by going to Crew Portal > Links > SupportTab > System (Vacation)/Form Type (Annual Vacation).

In Solidarity,

Jeff Petersen
APFA National Contract Chair
[email protected]

Marti McMillan
APFA National Scheduling Chair
[email protected]