AFA Debrief: February 03, 2023

Date: February 3, 2023

• Standby Pre-Boarding Assignment Reminders

• Use an IOR for Unruly Passenger Incidents
• Development for Flight Attendant Bidding System for VRL Schedules Resumes
• April Transfers Awarded
• Welcome Class 2248!
  

Standby Pre-Boarding Assignment Reminders

Standby Reserve assignments are provided for under Section 8.N.7. of our Contract. When a Standby Reserve is assigned to pre-board, the Flight Attendant’s expectation should always be that they will be taking the flight, regardless of any verbal expectation that may have been set by the scheduler.

Remember, the assignment must be made by the end of the 4th hour of Standby, and the assigned flight must be scheduled to depart before the end of the 5th hour from Standby check-in, except when the company is in a drafting situation. 

NOTE: If initially assigned to pre-board by the end of the 4th hour of Standby, but the determination the Flight Attendant will need to take the flight is made after the end of the 4th hour, it is treated as if the Flight Attendant was assigned to the pairing when assigned to the pre-board.

Make safety the priority. After checking in with the agent at the departure gate just before boarding the aircraft conduct necessary crew briefings and safety checks. Stow your bags in the designated position assigned to you on the briefing sheet. This ensures that if you are replaced by the original crew member there is a space for their bags and helps to avoid delays in crew transition.

If the decision is made that you will be working the flight, you should expect to be notified by Crew Scheduling at which point the pairing should be updated to reflect the accurate crew list for safety and security purposes and this should occur prior to door closure. If it does not, notify the Captain and the Purser and document the safety concern by filing an ISAP report.

Additional Pre-Boarding Considerations

• Standbys are limited to four (4) pre-boarding assignments per Standby period.
• If the pre-boarding assignment extends beyond the 4-hour Standby period, the Flight Attendant will be paid and credited with one hour (1:00) toward her/his line value in addition to the minimum five-hour (5:00) Standby pay and credit.
• A Reserve who is given a pre-boarding assignment which extends after the end of the Standby period will be released at the end of the assignment, and in no event will be required to stay beyond one (1) hour after the conclusion of the Standby period.
  
  Learn more about Reserve legalities visit Unitedafa.org – Reserve Resources.

Use an IOR for Passenger Incidents

As Flight Attendants we have several tools to report incidents that may arise through the course of our workday. Understanding which reporting tools are best used for a given situation can directly lead to actionable results that improve the safety of our industry.

An import component of an Inflight Safety Action Program (ISAP) report is that in the review process information about anyone involved is redacted for non-punitive review. This makes it beneficial for reporting incidents related to the following examples:

• Non-compliant LINK device

• Incorrect Placarding
• Failing to complete an exit row briefing prior to push back
• Missing or incorrect safety equipment
• Forgetting to disarm a door after arrival that is corrected by another Flight Attendant (i.e near miss.)

When faced with an unruly passenger incident, including non-compliance such as smoking in the lavatory, an Irregular Operations Report (IOR) is the preferred method for documenting and reporting on the incident. An IOR is used to document any incident involving customers or crew members that is out of the ordinary and may require follow-up by the company or the FAA.

Unlike the ISAP (Inflight Safety Action Program) report, the IOR does not redact information about the passenger in questions. This means action can be taken by the FAA and the company when warranted.

Knowing which report to file ensures Flight Attendants are protected and that the information provided by the Flight Attendant to management is directed to the correct review committees for the most effective resolution of any issues/concerns.

Development of Flight Attendant Bidding System for VRL schedules resumes

As provided for in Section 7.D.1., Vacation Relief Lines shall be constructed utilizing an automated Flight Attendant Bidding System “FABS”. Letter of Agreement #12 provides for the implementation of FABS for which development began in 2019 once Jeppesen was selected as the vendor to create the system. With the advent of COVID, development was stopped in March 2020. Work has restarted on the development of FABS.

Once implemented, Flight Attendants awarded VRL schedules in the primary bid will no longer bid on pre-constructed relief lines of flying in the secondary bid and will, instead use FABS to input preferences for the types of pairings and other schedule characteristics of which they would like to have their schedules comprised. 

Listing just a few of the preferences they will be able to express:

• Type of flying (domestic, language or international)
• Layover locations
• Aircraft type
• Workdays (on/off)

Training materials will be jointly developed by AFA and the company and a “practice environment” will also be available to create familiarity with the operation of the system. FABS implementation for VRL schedule bidding is planned for early 2024.

April Transfers Awarded

Transfers have been processed for the April 2023 bid month with an effective date of 4/1/2023.

Flight attendants awarded a transfer can view their awarded transfers in CCS under the transfer request page. This is NOT the final list of transfers awarded as Flight Attendants must accept the award before the acceptance deadline in CCS in order for the transfer to be effective.

Welcome Class 2248!

We are excited to welcome our newest flying partners from class 2248 as part of our Flight Attendant community. Our newest flying partners will begin their careers at bases in DEN, EWR, IAD, and BOS.

We encourage you to welcome each of them, help them learn from your experience, and get them started on a path to success and adventure in their new career.

Please remember that our newest Members are on probation. To ensure that they receive the most accurate information to support them, direct them to their Local Council for assistance on Contractual issues.

And, if you would like to become an AFA Buddy, reach out to your Local Council to learn how you can become part of this vital link to their success.

Reminders:

February - Black History Month

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