8.25.06

 Hello, this is Denise Pointer with the InfoRep Hotline for Friday, August 25, 2006.

In the next few weeks, APFA Scheduling Representatives will be randomly contacting Flight Attendants, using your current contact info on file, who held the 2000/2700 Series during June, July, and August. They will be asking a few survey questions to solicit constructive feedback. APFA and AA plan to review the test early in September to determine if the series will be offered in future months. If you should hear from one of the APFA Scheduling Reps, please take the time to answer a few questions about the 2000/2700 Series Open Replacement. If you would prefer to contact APFA on your own, please email [email protected].

August marks the end of the three-month 2000-Series Open Replacement test, which WILL increase the number of 3000 Open Replacement jobs offered in September. It will NOT, however, increase the number of Reserves at this point. The percentage of Flight Attendants serving Reserve is fairly close to what it was in August, but a few more reserve heads are needed because of the 31-day bid-month. If this test is considered a success, the 2000-Series will be offered again in December.

With the recent security events in the UK, APFA is compiling personal accounts of your experience with and treatment by the TSA and other nations' airport security procedures. In short, APFA believes that lumping crew members, all of whom have sustained extensive background checks and fingerprinting post-9/11, with passengers at airport security areas is not appropriate. Flight Attendants are safety professionals and should be treated as part of the solution, not part of the problem. APFA is interested in your stories while you were commuting to work, non-reving, deadheading, and of course, working as a crewmember from August 10th, forward. Please forward your stories to [email protected] and encourage your coworkers to submit their experiences to this email address as well.

From the Hotel Department – The Rio layover hotel has been a hot topic with APFA, APA and American Airlines due to the security issues surrounding this layover city. The APFA Hotel Department has been working closely with the IMA Chair and Vice Chair to resolve this issue.

Previously APFA and APA agreed to leave the Marriott because of the outrageous number of complaints of theft and muggings received by our members on the adjacent beach. Unfortunately, this decision was not a popular one.

We have taken all of your communication regarding this new hotel very seriously. AA's Hotel Contracts Department and Corporate Security have become involved in two investigations conducted in Rio as a result of our crewmembers' reports.

Due to contractual obligations and the potential liability resulting from a breach of contract, APFA, APA and AA have tried to come up with a workable solution for our crews' safety, all the while honoring the integrity of a signed contract. AA Corporate Security believes the current layover hotel itself is a safe environment, however it is clear that the surrounding area is not.

Despite the fact that Rio is not one of the safest layovers we have, it is also one of the most popular. The hotel has added hourly hotel vans, as reports are consistent that the majority of incidents occur while traveling in the Rio taxicabs. We encourage crewmembers to use the complimentary van service for obvious reasons.

AA suggested moving our crewmembers close to the airport; however, this was not an acceptable solution for APFA and APA. We have contracted our current layover hotel through Spring of '07. This hotel has cooperated with all of our requests for enhanced security including providing extra van service to the tourist areas of Rio at no cost to our crewmembers.

We are clear that our crews are not happy at this hotel. That message has been received, and another hotel review will take place this winter in anticipation of the terminating contract next spring.

Countless hours have been spent coming up with a viable solution to this issue. All parties involved have agreed that the decision to remain at this hotel through the expiration of the contract is best, and that a review will be conducted shortly to seek its replacement.

Moving crews at this time would incur enormous costs to violate the terms of the contract, which could affect other long layover hotels and possibly expose the parties to costly litigation. APFA, APA and AA had to take into consideration how this would affect crewmembers throughout the system.

Northwest has filed an injunction against a potential flight attendant strike as early as tonight. The judge stated that he would not prohibit the flight attendants' right to strike in this matter. NWA is seeking an expedited appeal and hopes for a reversal of this decision before the flight attendants take action.

That's it for this week. Don't forget to print this hotline out and share it with your co-workers. Encourage them to join the InfoRep program by sending an email to [email protected].

Take care, and thanks for all you do for the InfoRep program.