12.08.25 – APFA DFW Base Brief – January 2026 Staffing and Allocations

January 2026 Staffing and Allocations

Monday, December 8, 2025

Happy New Year (almost)!

The holidays are in full swing as we prepare for January bidding. We know it’s a busy season for many, so we will keep it short this month, but there are just a few things we wanted to mention:

The company offered VLOA’s (Voluntary Leave of Absence) for a projected 161 DFW-based Flight Attendants, as the holiday travel peak winds down into the winter shoulder season. Meanwhile, new hire classes are gearing up to prepare for spring and summer travel. We look forward to welcoming them soon!

We continue to see our overall base numbers dropping (hours as well as the headcount), which month-over-month is not unusual for this time of year; however, the year-over-year trend is a little concerning. We are optimistic, however, with the construction of the new terminal F that we will soon see movement in the other direction.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month will infuse several bases with additional IPD flying from key cities for that major annual event so watch for those on the bid sheet. Some sequences may include OA deadheads for positioning, which can be restricted for trades once awarded, so be mindful of what you bid for.

Lastly, we were very disappointed by the disproportionate increase in DFW reserves relative to the system average—we are now a full 3% above the system average for January! We expressed concern over this deviation from the last several months, and tried to ask for an adjustment, but ultimately were unsuccessful in making any changes to the January numbers. We will keep pressing and hoping for more balanced distribution moving forward. Meanwhile, please continue to support each other through our dependability and low absenteeism as that helps us build a case for our base to have lower reserve numbers.

We hope you enjoy this holiday season; however, we are aware it can be a difficult time of year for some for many reasons. If you are struggling, please remember that you are not alone! There are many resources available listed on APFA.org.

APFA’s Employee Assistance Program can help you navigate or find additional assistance when needed. It is also a great time of year for opportunities to serve others in your community, which can also help you feel connected and know that you’re making a difference. You matter! Thank you for all you do!

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Inflight Quarterly Training 4Q2025

• Operational Reliability – 4Q25
• Preventing Sexual Harassment
• Basic Data Cybersecurity Awareness
• Security Management System (SeMS)
• oneworld alliance

This quarterly training must be completed by tonight at 23:59 (CT) to avoid a Missed Assignment (MA).

January Contractual Month runs from January 1 – 30 (30 days).

January includes two holidays that impact flight schedules: New Year’s Day on the 1st and Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the 19th. The primary schedule change will occur on January 6th. However, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, some flights will be reduced on Sunday, January 18th, while others will be added on Monday, January 19th. At Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), there will be 8 flight banks on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and 7 flight banks on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Special Events in January:

• 1: New Year’s Day
• 2 – 11: LAS – CES (Consumer Electronics Show) Additional flights to/from DFW/ICN/JFK/LHR/MIA/NRT
• 19: Martin Luther King Jr Day

PBS Preliminary Manning Plan, DFW – January 2026

Sched Duty Length

• < 8 Hours    48.9%
• 8-10 Hours    24.1%
• 10-12 Hours    22.7%
• > 12 Hours    4.3%

Sched Block in Duty

• < 5 Hours    42.1%
• 5-7 Hours    38.9%
• 7-9 Hours    17.4%
• > 9 Hours    1.6%

Sched Legs in Duty

• 1    36.5%
• 2    47.7%
• 3    14.7%
• 4    1.1%

Sched Layover Rest

• <= 11 Hours    0.2%
• 11-12 Hours    7.7%
• 12-14 Hours    31.5%
• 14-16 Hours    18.2%
• 16-18 Hours    16.0%
• 18-20 Hours    8.5%
• 20-24 Hours    7.8%
• >= 24 Hours    10.1%

Sched Sits between Flights

• 2-2.5 Hours    12.3%
• 2.5-3 Hours    9.2%
• > 3 Hours    3.2%

Fly safe and know your contract!

In Unity,

Robin Reitz
APFA DFW Base President

Luis Vasquez
APFA DFW Base Vice President

Fierce advocates for more than 7,300 DFW Flight Attendants