10.08.24 – APFA LAX Base Brief – November 2024 Staffing and Allocations

November 2024 LAX Staffing and Allocations

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Julie Hedrick, Lisa Bales, and I will meet with American Airlines Chief Operating Officer David Seymour and Anne Moroni, VP of Operations Planning and Performance, on October 14th to discuss LAX staffing. We will focus on increasing our flying, returning our displaced flight attendants, and processing vacancy transfers into the base.

We will be in DFW for the entire week of October 14th to attend the regularly scheduled October 2024 Board meeting, and also plan on discussing with Julie Hedrick APFA’s strategy regarding Section 12.A.3.e. of the new contract: The Company agrees to meet upon request with APFA to discuss possible methods to reduce Reserve seniority levels in high seniority bases.

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November 2024 Allocations

• LAX Total Block Hours: 88,763
• IPD/NIPD Widebody Hours: 34,767
• Domestic Widebody Hours: 1,452
• IPD/NIPD Narrowbody Hours: 11,955
• Domestic Narrowbody Hours: 40,589

Satellite and Co-Terminal Block Hours

• ONT: 4,080
• SNA: 5,335
• LAS: 1,548
• SAN: 1,156

Month-Over-Month Comparison (November 2024 vs. October 2024)

• 1-days increased from 19% to 22%
• 2-days remain at 33%
• 3-days decreased from 36% to 35%
• 4-days decreased from 12% to 10%
• There are no ODANs for November

Please email your concerns and feedback to LAX Base Manager Andrew Masiello at [email protected].

Your local LAX Allocations Group also provides their feedback on a monthly basis once the preliminary allocations are published. They are, with their primary areas of focus, Michele Genovese (LAX), Wilson Ngai (ONT and IPD/NIPD), Dottie Long (transcons), Pam Askew (SNA), Ellen Eherts (LAS) and Keri Sartell (SAN).

A decent bid sheet that takes into account our feedback as Flight Attendants also benefits the Company in terms of reliability. Sadly, the Company often chooses to ignore feedback that would benefit all parties.

Some observations by the Allocations Group on the November bidsheet:

• Too many all-nighters at LAX – These  consistently end up in open time. An example is LAX flying both LAX-CLT redeyes. However, ONT would like the DFW redeye back.
• Insufficient turns – turns are down 3% month-over-month. We are at 19% for the base. Doug Price stated that their percentage goal is 30% on turns, yet we continue to drop at LAX.
• Too many 4-day trips – These consistently end up in ETB and open time. 4-days are often not commutable on one or both ends.
• Sit times increasing (confirmed by Doug Price)
• Block hours are heavily skewed towards the last half of November
• A 75-hour and a 65-hour LHR layover on 11/27 and 28 due to holiday reduction
• Andrew Masiello has stated that LAX-AKL will be flown by LAX. We are awaiting further confirmation. Several months ago, I made the business case for this sequence to be flown by LAX after the company scheduled DFW flight attendants on the final flight of the 2023-2024 season. I provided evidence of the substantial additional costs incurred as a result of using out-of-base crews.

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ETB Pickup on Reserve

Under the JCBA, pick ups from ETB while on Reserve had to be scheduled for release prior to 1800 on the day before reserve. This was changed in the new contract to a 1600 release. This change further limits our ability to pick up on reserve, but it was not scheduled to be implemented until 12 months after contract signing.

The company, however, implemented it right away.

APFA contacted the company to reverse the implementation. The company claims to have done so.

If you were denied an ETB pickup while on reserve due to this incorrect implementation, please contact [email protected]. Be sure to include your employee number, the sequence number and date, as well as any supporting documentation.

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First Leg Deadhead from Commuter City or Different Co-Terminal

A CCI message was sent out on 10/2 regarding the new procedures that have been implemented per Sec 16.G.7 of the CBA.

Per the CCI:

If your deadhead at the start of your sequence was changed to depart from your commuter city or changed to leave from a different co-terminal and you experience a delay or cancellation, there are new procedures to follow, as outlined in CBA 16.G.17.

If you are unable to make the first live segment: If your alternate deadhead experiences issues (cancellation or delay) preventing you from reaching your first live segment, let Crew Scheduling/Tracking know as soon as possible. Crew Scheduling/Tracking will then evaluate the operation to determine if splitting you onto your original sequence or offering other flying is practicable. They may:

• Split you onto your original sequence.
• Crew Tracking may book you on an alternate deadhead to catch you up to your sequence as necessary.
• Offer other flying.
• Crew Tracking may offer to reschedule you with other flying.
• Remove you from the remainder of the sequence.
• A return deadhead will be booked if necessary.
•  At your option, you can pick up a new trip (as provided in Section 10 of the CBA) after Crew Tracking has removed you from your original sequence.

Pay Protection

• If you are split onto your original sequence, or if you accept other flying, you will be pay protected as a reschedule according to section 10.J.10 of the CBA.
• If you are not split onto your original sequence or other flying, you will not be pay protected for the removed flying.

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LAX Co-Terminal Transportation
LAX Flight Attendants are entitled to coterminal limo transportation from LAX to SNA, ONT and BUR, and return. This applies to both Reserves and Lineholders.

At the present time, there is no BUR flying on our bidsheet, but some sequences for reserves or UBL might pop up based on operational circumstances.

Feedback on our coterminal transportation should be sent immediately to Michael Malool, APFA National Hotel Chair, at [email protected]. Please make sure you copy me in at [email protected].

If your coterminal limo caused a late sign in or missed trip, please email your Attendance Manager at [email protected] with a copy to me at [email protected].

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Bereavement
Contractually, we are entitled to 3 consecutive bereavement days paid at 4 hours pay and credit.

Under California law, we are entitled to a further 2 unpaid bereavement days. These days do not have to be taken in conjunction with the contractual bereavement.

However, effective October 1st, there is a contractual change which allows for additional bereavement days to be paid out of our vacation.

I am confirming with the company that we can also apply vacation pay to the California bereavement days. I will report back once I receive a response.

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November 2024 Bidding Timelines

That’s all for this update. Safe travels!

In Solidarity,

John Nikides
APFA LAX Base President 
[email protected]