12.10.24 – APFA DCA Base Brief – Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

DCA Parking Issues at the Crew Lot

We would like to address the ongoing issues regarding the use of our crew parking lot by rideshare drivers (Uber and Lyft) who are using the area as overflow while waiting for fares. The Airport Authority’s decision to permit this has led to several problems, including:

• Safety concerns for crew members.
• Parking shortages for employees arriving for work.

Also, the roads leading to the employee parking lot are becoming increasingly congested with rideshare drivers, especially during peak periods when multiple flights arrive simultaneously. We have engaged in numerous discussions with the American Airlines Airport Director, local base management, and others about this issue. Most recently, I spoke with Jaime Webb, our new Base Manager, who informed me that a meeting is being scheduled with the Airport Authority and American Airlines Real Estate Management at Reagan National Airport (DCA) to address these and other concerns.

We appreciate your patience as we work toward a resolution. In the meantime, if parking issues result in a late sign-in or late boarding, each case will be reviewed individually by management for possible resolution.

IAD Parking Hangtags and Proxy Card Situation

Regarding parking at Washington Dulles (IAD): out of approximately 800 DCA-based Flight Attendants, about 50% applied for IAD parking. However, the company only ordered 200 hangtags and distributed them on a first-come, first-served basis.

We have filed a formal Notice of Dispute (NOD) over how this was handled and expect it to be heard this month.

Unofficially, the company has indicated that it does not plan to provide additional parking passes beyond the initial 200. For those without a parking hangtag, the company requires you to pay for parking and seek reimbursement. We strongly disagree with this approach. The additional cost of the hangtag is already accounted for in our contract, and all Flight Attendants who applied for a parking pass should receive one Also, We were informed that those who do not have a hang tag, but still have last year’s proxy card, the card will be disabled and you will not be able to use it to enter the parking lot per IAD airport management

We will update you on the outcome of the dispute as soon as we have more information.

Rumors About IAD Flying

We are also addressing concerns about rumors that IAD flying may be moved out of base and assigned to Flight Attendants from other bases instead of originating with DCA-based Flight Attendants.

I want to share the letter to network planning and optimization concerning the most recent rumors about IAD flying! I have not been briefed/ updated on any such change to flying at this time, and while it may be a rumor, I wanted to look at this head-on. Any updates will be corresponded to you ASAP.

After we sent this letter, the Company informed us that they were still analyzing the numbers and had not made a decision.

We have emphasized the importance of retaining IAD flying within the DCA base, noting that:

• This represents decades of past practice.
• Moving the flying would cause significant hardship for DCA-based Flight Attendants living close to IAD.
• The cost of layover hotels for out of base crews would annually cost more than purchasing the additional hangtags requested.
• The base would be disadvantaged to lose these block hours.

If the company moves forward with this change, we will request an immediate meeting to discuss the situation. In the meantime, we remain committed to advocating for DCA Flight Attendants and will keep you informed of any developments.

Thank you for your continued patience and support as we address these challenges together.

In Solidarity,

John Pennel
APFA DCA Base President
[email protected]

Dianne Britton
APFA DCA Base Vice President
[email protected]