12.11.15 – (LAA/LUS) – Personal Movement Devices/Voluntary Leave of Absence/VEBA Prefunding Update
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Friday, December 11, 2015
- Personal Movement Devices Not Permitted on Board – LAA/LUS
- Voluntary Leave of Absence (Formerly Bid Leaves) – LAA
- VLOA Openings – February 2016 – LUS
- VEBA Prefunding Update – LAA
Personal Movement Devices Not Permitted on Board – LAA/LUS
Effective for all passengers and crewmembers with travel originating on or after Saturday, December 12th, Personal Movement Devices (PMDs) such as hover boards, Airwheels and mini-Segways are no longer accepted in the cabin or in checked baggage. Thru flights for passengers and Crew crossing this date and time are exempt. These devices are powered by lithium batteries and may pose a safety risk on board if they malfunction.
Important: The previous policy regarding personal movement devices is now amended with this more restrictive policy due to recent incidents involving PMDs.
Flight Attendants are not required to check for compliance; however, they should monitor for these devices during boarding. If you notice a passenger attempting to bring a PMD on board, refer them to the agent for additional handling. If the agent is unavailable, or the device is discovered during flight, immediately notify the Captain.
Voluntary Leave of Absence (Formerly Bid Leaves) – LAA
Voluntary Leaves of Absence (VLOA) will replace Bid Leaves (BL) effective January 2016. Please note, LAA Flight Attendants will bid for VLOAs using the ballot on the Crew Resources page of the Flight Service website. HIPVD is no longer used for submitting VLOA requests. Use the link for Voluntary Leave Information to find the ballot and additional information regarding Voluntary Leaves of Absence. The deadline to request a VLOA for January 2016 is Tuesday, December 15 at 0900CT. VLOAs will be offered for either a full month duration (1st to 30th) or half month (1st-15th or 16th to 30th) duration. Requests for a full month leave will take precedence over partial month leaves. Therefore if your ballot includes a request for both a partial month leave and a full month leave you will be awarded a full month leave if full month leaves are available at your seniority.
VLOA Openings – February 2016 – LUS
The Company is projecting an opportunity to award Voluntary Leaves of Absence (VLOA) for the month of February 2016. These VLOAs may be available for the February bid month (effective February 5, 2016) in the following domiciles: CLT — DCA — PHL — PHX
- The February 2016 VLOA begins on the 5th of the month.
- Lineholders are responsible for lead in trips for the award month.
- Reserves are available to Scheduling up to 23:59 on the 4th of the month dependent upon Reserve bid awards.
- Picking up trips via ETB is not permissible while on this leave.
- Required training scheduled for the month must be attended and will be compensated accordingly.
- Accruals for both sick and vacation will continue during the period of the leave.
- Any scheduled vacation will be paid.
- Benefits will remain active for the duration of the leave.
All VLOA requests for February 2016 must be submitted electronically via the VLOA Request Form on WINGS prior to the deadline of 12:00 Noon (EST) and 10:00 (MST), Thursday, December 17, 2015. Awards will be posted no later than December 18, 2015.
VEBA Prefunding Update – LAA
APFA and the Company were scheduled to meet with the Arbitrator on Tuesday, December 15, 2015. However, the Arbitrator has cancelled the meeting due to his illness. We are in the process of rescheduling this meeting, and are expected to have a decision shortly after both parties meet. APFA has communicated to the Arbitrator and the Company that we are available to meet on a weekend or holiday due to the length of case and importance to our membership. The updated meeting schedule will be announced in an upcoming hotline.