02.01.06

Hello, this is Denise Pointer, DFW InfoRep with an InfoRep Hotline message for Wednesday, February 1, 2006.

Yesterday, our lawmakers in Washington D.C. returned from their break. Hopefully, they and their staffers were met with thousands of emails and letters from AA Flight Attendants. If you haven’t already done so, please take a few minutes to log on to www.www.apfa.org and click the link to contact your representatives regarding the Leave All Weapons Behind Bill.

AA begins its service out of Love Field (DAL) on March 2nd. This new service from DAL is a strategic step in the continued fight to support the Wright Amendment. AA has said to its employees that this service was necessary due to the legislative change to the Wright Amendment last year that opened up flights to Missouri out of Love Field.

I have received several emails questioning how DAL flying will affect DFW operations. AA responded to that question by saying that in order to support the new DAL service to STL, MCI, SAT and AUS, they were forced to reduce services to these cities from DFW. They continue to tell us that this is a prime example of what will happen if Love Field is opened to unrestricted flying. We must not let up on our fight to keep the Wright Amendment in place.

So, as you are thinking about communicating your opinion on allowing weapons in the cabin, let those same lawmakers know how you feel about keeping the Wright Amendment in place. These two issues affect our work group tremendously.

As you were told via a special APFA Hotline message last week, APFA, APA, and TWU filed Presidential Grievances over the bonuses that approximately 1,000 management employees are slated to receive in April under the airline’s management Performance Unit Plan. If you have read the communiqu*s from APFA, you are aware that there have been several meetings with senior management to discuss these cash bonuses. APFA is deeply concerned over the irrationality of tying cash bonuses solely to the performance of our stock. APFA has also questioned the judgment of such a cash outlay when we are billions of dollars in debt. Additionally, APFA believes that upon reviewing contractual language governing the AIP, which was agreed to in 2003, these cash bonuses are in violation of our collective bargaining agreement.

We have received many emails and calls with regards to the Speaker Test. As previously announced in the APFA hotline, the Speaker test will be discontinued. February bidding and staffing remains the same as during the test. APFA and AA are discussing a solution to speaker staffing by taking many factors into consideration such as the feedback and data received by APFA and AA during the test, and the recognition that we are struggling within a no-growth period. As of today, no decisions have been made.

Any solution reached will be within the confines of the current collective bargaining agreement and announced prior to bidding for the month of March. Stayed tuned in the next few weeks for the final announcement.

I continue to receive emails questioning the status of recalls at AA. AA has informed us that they still have no plans for a recall in 2006. AA has continued to reduce its domestic schedule and plans to operate a flatter international schedule (no big spike in flying) this summer. This is mainly a result of the continued high price of fuel. AA recently announced it would permanently retire 24 MD80’s currently grounded and retire another 3 as well. Currently the company is offering bid leaves for Flight Attendants.

The 13th Annual APFA Convention will be held February 20, 2006 through February 24, 2006 at the Ayres Hotel in Hawthorne, California. All members in good standing are invited and encouraged to attend this convention. We especially hope many of you will make plans to attend on Monday, February 20th.

On Monday, February 20th, training classes and workshops will be held all day. Additionally, information tables will be staffed with representatives from the following departments: Scheduling, Contracts, Health, Safety, Communications, Legislation, and Hotels. We are hopeful that many of you will take advantage of this time to stop by and visit with these department reps.

That evening a cocktail reception with a cash bar will be held in the Courtyard at the Ayres Hotel at 6:00 p.m. Dinner and the Annual Awards banquet will follow at 7:00 pm. As have all APFA Reps, you may purchase a ticket to attend the dinner for $50 in advance or $60 at the door. To make a dinner reservation, please contact Rosemary Cooper at (817) 540-0108 Ext. 8121.

If you would like to sign up to attend any of the following workshops, please call Linda Plunk at (817) 540-0108 Ext 8200. The class schedule is listed below:

9:00 a.m. ­ 11:00 a.m. Contract/Scheduling Training
Florentine Ballroom
National Contract Coordinator Brent Peterson and National Scheduling Coordinator Jaimie McNeice will conduct the Contract/Scheduling workshop. Don’t forget to bring your “On Duty Contract Guide”.

11:30 a.m. ­ 12:00 p.m. Legislative Action Workshop
Florentine Ballroom

1:00 p.m. ­ 3:00 p.m. Retirement Seminar
Florentine Ballroom
Retirement Specialist Jill Frank-Smoak will conduct the Retirement workshops. Please go to Jetnet and create and print a Personal Pension Estimate as well as Plan Calculation Formulas for the workshop. Also, bring your laptop computer if you have one.

Jill Frank Smoak recently announced her retirement so if retirement is even a remote glimmer on your horizon, don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the expert!

From the APFA Hotel department: There have been several changes we want to make everyone aware of. First, as was previously announced, beginning January 31st we have added a second HNL hotel. The allocations for HNL are on the Hotel department’s web site along with monthly allocations for LAX, SAN and LAS. We strive to have these posted by the time bids.

Also HNL crews should note that effective June 4, 2006, the new HNL hotel, the Resort Quest Waikiki, will be entirely non-smoking. For all of you who smoke and are angry about the non-smoking hotels, you may want to brace yourself…. Since the Westin chain announced their hotels were all non-smoking beginning January 1, 2006, most every major hotel chain will likely make plans to follow suit. It is anticipated that by the end of this year, most hotels nationwide will be non-smoking.

Please remember, APFA always contracts for 100% non-smoking rooms. Crews that are given smoking rooms are accommodated as a courtesy and on an “as available” basis. We continue to see hefty fines assessed personally for crews who smoke in their non-smoking rooms. If you receive one of these fines, it’s between you and the hotel management.

We have a few new hotel contracts effective in February. IDF crews flying a new route from DFW to LIR will be staying at the Occidental Grand Papagayo Hotel, which is an all-inclusive property on the beach. Crews laying over in Acapulco will remain at the Hyatt Regency. Crews laying over in SNA will now be at the Ayres Hotel Costa Mesa/Newport Beach. Effective February 2, 2006, crews laying over in UVF will be staying at the all-inclusive Coconut Bay Resort.

Also, new arrangements have been made for all-day sleepers at the MIA short layover. Crews will be relocated to the Holiday Inn MIA Airport during the remodeling/construction at the Wyndham.

There are lots of rumors and unfounded truths circulating right now. I would like to ask all InfoReps to remember to please print out the weekly APFA general hotline on Fridays as well as the InfoRep hotline every two weeks and carry copies of those hotlines with you on your trips. Please share them with your fellow co-workers. Encourage everyone to join the InfoRep program.

Also please encourage everyone you fly with to send APFA his or her email addresses. You can do this by simply sending an email to [email protected]. And, please keep your email address current with the InfoRep program.

That’s it for this week. Thanks again for all you do for the InfoRep program.

Denise Pointer, DFW InfoRep
InfoRep Program
1004 W. Euless Boulevard
Euless, TX 76040
817-540-0108 Ext. 8743
[email protected]