Continued Misunderstandings on “Checking In”

Date: July 1, 2022

We continue to address your calls and reports from around the system which indicate there continues to be confusion on the part of management as to the purpose of “checking-in” at the departure gate. 

Over time, through our Union communication channels, we have consistently addressed this issue in order to not only avoid confusion but to also ensure that the efficacy of a process that was put in place as a means of mitigating potential FAR violations resulting from instances where FAA minimum crew was not onboard the aircraft at boarding time is not compromised. 

Based on the reports we’re receiving from you, the following historical articles from our website have clearly been effective in communicating the intent behind the check-in process at the gate.

May 17, 2022, Debrief Article on Checking-in Confusion

May 6, 2022, Debrief Article

Crew Member Verification & FAA Minimums

We clearly understand the process, yet we continue to hear of crews being provided inaccurate information from certain members of management.  In many of these instances, when flights are delayed, crews are being approached and questioned as to why they have not “checked-in” for the flight despite the fact that the aircraft is not at the gate and has been re-scheduled to a later departure time.

We need to state this as clearly and succinctly as possible. The scanning process at the gate is about crew member FAA minimum compliance and has nothing to do with when we are contractually expected to report for a flight assignment.  As Flight Attendants, we check-in at the departure gate for our flight based on the contractual check-in time for the aircraft type to which we are assigned. The process at the gate has nothing to do with verifying that we’ve arrived at work on time.

At the gate, we swipe our badges just prior to boarding the aircraft as part of a comprehensive process to ensure that the FAA minimum crew complement is on the aircraft prior to boarding passengers.  During this extraordinary time while we are facing the unique operational challenges that are today’s reality, swiping in outside of these parameters creates the potential for an unintended FAR violation.

For more information, please contact your AFA Local Council Safety, Health, and Security Committee.