FACT Rep Update 10.29.13

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FACT Rep Update – October 29, 2013

 

Hello FACT Reps,
 
This week APFA visited the base of RDU-I on October 28^th. The next stop will be STL on October 30^th and DCA on October 31^st. Come and join your APFA leadership for DOJ/Merger updates, Bid – Line Guarantee Protection information, and so much more as the 2013 APFA Roadshows continue. The remaining schedule is below.
 
FACT: Interim Bid-Line Guarantee Protection begins on November 1, 2013. Information with the specific language along with a flow chart will be made available in the next few days under the Scheduling page of the APFA website.
 
Interim Bid-Line Guarantee Protection will be explained in detail at the upcoming APFA Roadshows.
 
FACT: AMR posted a third quarter net profit of $289 million while Delta posted over $1 billion in the same quarter. We MUST merge with US Airways in order to compete.
 
AMR earnings third quarter 2013
 
Delta third quarter earning 2013

FACT: Sending a letter to Congress is fast and easy at www.www.apfa.org   Capwiz Call to Action Let your voices be heard. Tell the DOJ they got it WRONG!   Go to www.apfa.org and click on the Capwiz Call to Action link on the home page. It only takes a few seconds to send this letter to the the Senators and Representative in your area asking for their support in our merger. Please inform your fellow colleagues about this very important letter, as well.   FACT: The 2014 Benefits Guide and pricing information is now available online at www.my.aa.com. 2014 enrollment will open on November 1, 2013, and close at midnight on November 15, 2013.

APFA 2013 Roadshows continue: “Securing our future at the new American”   Please continue to share the dates below with your fellow flight attendants.   STL—October 30 Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel 9801 Natural Bridge Road Saint Louis, MO 63134-3307 314/429-1100 *Shuttle service to/from airport and parking complimentary 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.   DCA—October 31 Radisson Hotel Reagan National Airport 2020 Jefferson Davis Highway Arlington, VA 22202 703/920-8600 *Parking—Vouchers will be provided as APFA will pay for parking 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.   LAX—November 5 Hilton Los Angeles Airport 5711 West Century Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90045 310/410-4000 *Shuttle service to/from Los Angeles Airport–Complimentary *Parking—Vouchers will be provided as APFA will pay for parking 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.   SFO—November 6 Embassy Suites South San Francisco 250 Gateway Blvd. South San Francisco, CA 94080 650/589-3400 *Shuttle Service to/from airport—Complimentary *Parking—Vouchers will be provided as APFA will pay for parking 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (note: start time has changed from 10:00am to 11:00am)   JFK—November 12 Hilton New York JFK Airport 144-02 135th Avenue Jamaica, NY 11436 718/659-0200 *Shuttle service to/from JFK Airport—Complimentary *Parking—Vouchers will be provided as APFA will pay for parking 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.   MIA—November 13 Miami International Airport CONCOURSE “D” AUDITORIUM—LEVEL 4 (located above the American Airlines Credit Union) NW 20th Street & Le Jeune Road Miami, FL 33122 305/871-4100 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.   ORD—November 19 Hyatt Regency O’Hare 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue Rosemont, IL 60018 847/696-1234 *Shuttle service to/from O’Hare Airport—Complimentary *Parking—Vouchers will be provided as APFA will pay for parking 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.   BOS—November 20 Embassy Suites Boston at Logan Airport 207 Porter Street Boston, MA 02128 617/567-5000 *Shuttle service to/from Boston Logan Airport—Complimentary *Parking—Vouchers will be provided as APFA will pay for parking 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Merger and DOJ HOT TOPICS!
 
The Wall Street Journal
American, US Airways, Justice Department Agreed to Settlement Mediator Suggested by Judge
By Susan Carey and Jack Nicas
28 October 2013
 
As the Nov. 25 trial date approached in the government’s antitrust challenge of the planned merger of American Airlines parent AMR Corp. and US Airways, the parties “have agreed to a mediator suggested by the court,” according to a court document filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
 
In a report in advance of a status conference on Wednesday, the court said discovery is nearing a close. The airlines have produced approximately 1.3 million documents to the Justice Department in preparation for the trial, and the Justice Department has produced 900,000 documents. The two sides have been meeting with a so-called “special master,” a court official appointed to negotiate the discovery process and confidentiality procedures, every week since he was appointed on Sept. 4, the court filing said.
 
The Justice Department has deposed 19 employees of the two carriers and nine other parties, “most of whom are executives employed by other airlines,” according to the court document. The airlines provided expert testimony from four individuals.
 
At the end of the three-page report, the court noted that the parties agreed to a mediator. On Aug. 30, the court ordered the parties to choose a third-party mediator “for use at the parties’ discretion.” It wasn’t clear Monday whether those discussions already are underway. Courts often encourage parties to try to resolve their differences before trial, and mediators are appointed to try to facilitate settlements.
 
The airlines declined to comment on the status of any potential negotiations that could lead to settlement talks. The Justice Department declined to comment beyond the written status report.
 
The Justice Department, which filed its complaint in August, contends the merger would harm consumers by raising fees and fares, and put more than 80% of the domestic industry into the hands of four carriers, three of which already have bulked up through mergers. American and US Airways disagree, contending the combination would create more choices for fliers and act as a counterweight to larger, merged rivals.
 
The case is being heard by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. The trial is expected to take a couple of weeks and Judge Kollar-Kotelly has indicated she will rule in January.
 
-Brent Kendall contributed to this article.
 
Charlotte Chamber, other groups back US Airways-American Airlines merger

LA mayor Eric Garcetti backs U S Airways-American Airlines merger
 
Mayors ask U.S. AG to settle lawsuit over airline merger 
 
AMR Returns to “square one” if merger blocked, creditors say
 
FACT Reps Q&A:
 
Q: Can a domestic Flight Attendant fly international trips from HIBOARD?
A: No. You are only allowed to fly trips in your current division when picking up a trip from HIBOARD.
 
AB (adjacent base) flying  is active at all bases with an adjacent base. If you want to fly a trip at the adjacent base, you must first determine if adjacent base flying will be available for the following day.
 
Check the RF 8803A CCS file in DECs.  This file is updated daily by Crew Schedule.
 
Any qualified “regular scheduled” Flight Attendant who would like to request an open time trip for the next day at the adjacent base must submit a HISEND request no later than 1330HBT (home base time) the day prior to the open time trip using the adjacent base HISEND Form below.
 

BOS Dom Seq use HISEND Form 197	BOS Intl Seq use HISEND Form 198	ORD Dom Seq use HISEND Form 195	IOR Intl Seq use HISEND Form 196
LAX Dom Seq use HISEND Form 109	LAX Intl Seq use HISEND Form 110	MIA Dom Seq use HISEND Form 122	IMA Intl Seq use HISEND Form 123
DFW Dom Seq use HISEND Form 149	IDF Intl Seq use HISEND Form 177	LGA Dom Seq use HISEND Form 184	JFK Intl Seq use HISEND Form 185

 
HISENDS will be processed by the adjacent base crew scheduler.
 
Q: I heard that after the merger AMR Headquarters will be relocated to Arizona.
A: Once the merger is finalized the new American headquarters will remain in Fort Worth, Texas.
 
Q: I’ve received a couple of questions from Flight Attendants and was wondering if you have the answers. First, there is so much speculation about how the two operations will be merged, especially here in Boston where I am based (international). How long will it take to merge the two operations (approximately)? Will there be a fence around US Airways flying and American flying? Will there be a fence around domestic and international (though this is being merged here at American)? Could flight attendants get displaced to other bases? I know this probably requires speculation, but this is what I am hearing.

A:  The details for merging the AA and US Airways Flight Attendants have not been agreed to yet.  We believe it will take roughly one year  to receive a single operating certificate from the FAA which would begin the process for merging our two work groups.  At this time, it is not anticipated that there will be a hard fence around each airlines flying and no Flight Attendants will be displaced as a result of integrating our work forces.  As for combining our current Domestic and International operations, we will continue working towards a combined operation whether we merge or in the unlikely scenario there is not a merger.  The primary focus of combining Domestic and International operations is still to achieve a single reserve list for all operations.
 
FACT: We need your fellow Flight Attendant friends to join the FACT Rep program.
Please forward the link below and ask them to sign up today!
 http://eepurl.com/ES8-D
 
That’s it for this week. Please remember to squash the rumors and get the FACTs!
 
In Unity,
Michael Truan
APFA Negotiator and
FACT REP Coordinator    
 

AmericanAirlines + US Airways 
“MERGE!”