4.27.26 – APFA ORD Base Brief – April 2026 Mid-Month ORD Update

April 2026 Mid-Month ORD Update

Monday, April 27, 2026

Happy April, Chicago,

Spring is starting off with a lot to talk about. Please continue to hold the company accountable and ask them questions, and direct concerns to them. Our employer deserves to hear from every one of us.

Me@Work

I am going to start with the newest “innovation” American Airlines spent time, money, and effort to roll out.

First and foremost, every single one of us is worth more than being just a number. We are people. This dystopian grading system is a horrific way to “teach” and “thank” employees. Especially when a variety of factors we don’t even have control over.

APFA was not consulted, asked for help in the criteria, or considered in the development of this program. APFA would have suggested a slew of other issues that this amount of time and energy should have been spent on.

This program, as of now, is optional and not something we are required to review, participate in, or care about. If you don’t want to see the arbitrary grade the company has placed on you, don’t bother checking.

From gate scanning to CCS scores, we know how the landscape quickly shifts in terms of what the company can use to discipline us.

Last week, Chicago filed a Base NOD asking the company to commit in a formal manner that these scores cannot and will never be used against us in any fashion. While they have vaguely indicated as of now they won’t be used in a disciplinary manner, if they mean what they say, they should be willing to put that commitment into a formal agreement.

The NOD will be heard this week, and if these scores are truly never to be used against us, it should be resolved soon.

If you find this program dystopian, wasteful, incorrect, or offensive, please make sure the creator hears your concerns. CC [email protected] on this correspondence to help monitor their responses.

• VP, Inflight: [email protected]
• Inflight Strategy and support: [email protected]
• Inflight Innovation and Insights: [email protected]

LHR Catering

The catering debacle began at the end of February and still is not entirely resolved. Discussions with the company continue, as most bases fly to London, and everyone knows these additional catering obstacles have caused an increased workload on the crews.

While the biggest issues are allegedly resolved, thanks to FA feedback, we still know they are happening.

To document the specific examples of the additional workload, please continue to document via email. The company needs to see what is not working, and what, most importantly, see what additional work is being done to care for our customers.

If you want to email the company directly, CC [email protected].

Amanda Freitag is the Manager, Inflight Operations for American Airlines: [email protected]

NH Virtual Townhall

On Friday, April 24th, ORD APFA held a virtual town hall geared towards our newest members with a handful of hot topics and helpful education pieces. This career has many nuances and rules to learn; every little bit helps.

Below is a link to the video on the ORD Base page in APFA.org:

We discussed:

• Acknowledgment of trips – how to double check you have acknowledged
• Late Reports – and what to do if your RSV assignment triggers an incorrect LR
• “When Do I Go Illegal” example and demonstration
• Flown into days off – scheduled and not, and next steps
• Rest Periods – Home Base and layover rest
• Q & A

Me@Work Base NOD:

Safe Travels!

In Solidarity,

Justin Patterson
APFA ORD Base President
ORD Base Number: (773) 645-0809
Cell: (509) 720-0067
[email protected]

Dray Howard
APFA ORD Base Vice President
ORD Base Number: (773) 645-0809
Cell: (630) 215-8410
[email protected]