First Round of 2024 Vacation Bidding – Bid to Cover Yourself

The first round of our 2024 Vacation Bidding is now open through 0800 HDT on October 31, 2023.

When bidding, Flight Attendants will have an allocation of vacation days published, by base, for viewing in CCS. The first round of bidding opened on October 23rd. Now that the first round has opened, Flight Attendants are allowed to choose preferences regarding: 

1. The number of days they want in each vacation period.
2. The option to “date slide” the vacation, up to three days in either direction of the start/end dates to ensure they receive the maximum number of days utilizing their initial bids
3. Accept fewer days for the vacation period by specifying the number of days by which the vacation is to be reduced.
4. The start date for each vacation period.

Keep in mind there is an impact if you fail to bid in the first round.

If a Flight Attendant does not submit a vacation bid in the first round of bidding, they will be considered a No Bid. No vacation will be assigned during the first round of vacation bidding. You will, however, be required to bid all of your accrued days in the second vacation bid round. If a Flight Attendant does not submit a vacation bid in the second round of bidding, they will automatically be assigned a vacation.

Keep in mind, the vacation you are assigned will be after the second-round vacation awards have been completed for all Flight Attendants submitting a bid. The assigned vacation will be made in seniority order from December backward through January, with the largest block of days being assigned first.

There is also an impact if you submit bids insufficient to what your seniority can hold.

We strongly recommend that you bid to cover yourself. When a Flight Attendant submits a vacation bid and is unable to hold any of their selections, it is considered an Insufficient Bid. In this instance, vacation is assigned in seniority order from December backward through January after that round of vacation has been awarded to all bidders. The assignment shall be based on the number of days in your bid, with the largest block of days assigned first.

For many of our most junior Members, this will be the first time they have experienced the vacation bidding and award process. Similar to when bidding for a monthly flight schedule, vacation days are awarded by seniority.

The more senior a Flight Attendant is in their base, the more likely they will hold the 2024 vacation period(s) of their preference. Historically, Summer months and holidays have been some of the most desired periods for vacation. As you prepare to make your first-round selection, it is a good practice to bid for multiple periods of vacation time to ensure you are not slotted into a vacation period you do not desire. In addition to bidding your “dream” vacation periods, make additional selections to avoid being assigned.

In short, take the opportunity to explore and bid for ALL desired or acceptable vacation options to improve your options for the 2024 vacation awards. Take a few minutes to look at the overview of the vacation process, broken down by dates and specific activities tied to vacation bidding, which is available from the Vacation section on our website.

2024 Flight Attendant Vacation Timeline