10.08.23 – APFA PHX Base Brief – November 2023 Staffing and Allocations
Sunday, October 8, 2023
November 2023 Staffing and Allocations
Last Tuesday, APFA Base Representatives had the monthly staffing and allocations call with the Company. On this call for PHX were Robin Agee and Secorra Flowers.
We continue to push for more Flight Attendants in PHX, especially new hires. We have pointed out that the vacancy transfer list is primarily junior Flight Attendants subject to 1-on/1-off Reserve and newer hires still on straight Reserve. Clearing the list or giving us more of these transfers will reduce the need for more senior Flight Attendants to be drafted for Reserve. Our absenteeism still needs to be lowered. Most days, we are the highest in the system. As stated many times, until we see new hires, rotating Reserve will continue to go deep into our seniority. We have seen absenteeism drop significantly in bases that receive new hire Flight Attendants.
A special thank you to PHX Base Manager Sharitta Allen for requesting an end to the daily mobileCCI messages to the PHX base regarding our absenteeism. On October 1, the daily recap of the PHX base ended. However, PHX and LAX will receive an absenteeism summary each month.
As for allocations, our flight hours will see another decrease. In October, we have 64,415 flight hours. In November, we will have 64,234. This is a decrease of 181 flight hours. The percentage of 1-days will increase by 4% to 28%, 2-days will decrease by 8% to 31% of our flying, with a 4% increase in 3-days to 38%, and our 4-day sequences will remain at 3% with the majority commutable. ODANs will decrease from 22.7 to 16.2 starts.
We are excited to see the return of the Boeing 787 widebody flying on one of our HNL sequences. We will also see a couple of 3-day HNL sequences with the return flying through LAX with 15 and 16 credit hours. The LHR overnight will remain at 22 hours for November. As for the 4-leg 1-days, we will see 30 individual sequences that operate one day out of the month, nine sequences that will only operate two days out of the month, and four sequences that will only operate three days out of the month. Of these sequences, 70% will have under 2-hour sit times in PHX, and ten sequences will have no sit time. We will see approximately 16-20 sequences that operate one day out of the month with over 2.30 hours sit times in PHX. However, none with three hours sit time. We will continue to request that the sit times on these 4-leg turn days be under 2 hours. Please know that if we request to eliminate all 4-leg turn days, we will see a significant reduction in 2-, 3- and 4-day sequences with one leg home.
Thanksgiving Critical Period/Holiday Pay
By Secorra Flowers, PHX Base VP
There are two dates to remember when bidding for November: the Thanksgiving Critical Period and the Holiday Pay Period. Please note the dates are not the same.
The critical period for Thanksgiving starts on Wednesday, November 22, and ends on Sunday, November 26. This is an opportunity to earn an incentive point by working all assignments (Trips, STBY, RSV RAPs, and Special Assignment) with no removals (Sick, FMLA, Jury Duty, Military, Personal or Bereavement, etc.), including pre-planned absences during the critical period. Remember that any sick call during a critical period will incur an additional attendance point.
Holiday Pay for November is offered for time flown on November 22, 23, 26, and 27. This language was negotiated last year and was included in a Letter of Agreement (LOA) signed on July 28, 2022.
Any flying performed on a designated Holiday, including a Reschedule (Rescheduled flying performed on a Holiday for a sequence which did not originally touch the Holiday, shall pay a premium of one hundred percent (100%) over the Flight Attendant’s base hourly rate. Holiday premium pay is above guarantee for Reserve for hours flown (based on the greater of scheduled or actual hours flown), on a Holiday and will include flying that crosses over midnight Local Station Time and touches a Holiday.
Reserve Availability
The JCBA states that you must be able to report within two (2) hours of a call from Crew Scheduling. We have not focused on the Company’s pet peeve of Reserves sitting their RAPs outside of the 2-hour driving area of the airport, as it has not been necessary until now. Recently, we have seen an increase of Flight Attendants being called into mandatory meetings when a Late Call (LC) or Missed Trip (TM) triggered an investigation of the commuting Flight Attendant’s travel records.
If you are in the middle of your Reserve days and feeling ill, call the Crew Attendance Manager or your Crew Manager and let them know you are sick and traveling home. Please remember that many of those who have gone home on Reserve days thinking they will not be called have learned the hard way that the operation can melt down in minutes. Do not take the chance. The consequences are you could lose your employment with American Airlines. While it is easy to commute from your home on your Lineholder month, it is a lot more difficult to do the same on your Reserve month unless you bid and hold sequences or airport standby for your Reserve available days.
Mandatory Meeting Representation
If the Crew Attendance Manager or your Crew Manager schedules a mandatory meeting, please set up the meeting and call 800-595-1471, ext. 4, for APFA PHX Representation. Please leave your name, employee number, phone number, and the date and time of the meeting. We request at least 48 hours notification prior to the meeting to schedule a representative.
APFA Contract ACTION Team Sign Up
- Ext. 1 – APFA Headquarters
- Ext. 2 – PHX Base President Robin Agee
- Ext. 3 – PHX Base Vice President Secorra Flowers
- Ext. 4 – Mandatory Meeting Representation
- Ext. 5 – Medical and Injury on Duty
- Ext. 6 – Reserve
- Ext. 0 – General Questions
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Please reach out to us with any questions or concerns.
In Solidarity,
Robin Agee
APFA PHX Base President
480-238-2303
[email protected]
Secorra Flowers
APFA PHX Base Vice President
602-551-8116
[email protected]