4.07.26 – APFA DFW Base Brief – May 2026 Staffing and Allocations

May 2026 Staffing and Allocations

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Hello DFW,

April marks the start of the new DFW hub structure. The 13-bank makeup should alleviate scheduling stress for every department. With better utilization of gate space and aircraft, flow schedules should become more reliable and recoveries much more manageable during IROPS.

As Flight Attendants, our established schedules, which remain intact, are always front and center. The current bid sheet and reserve numbers both show a positive trend benefiting all in a year-over-year analysis from MAY 2025. In addition to regular summer transfers, our base head count is increasing with the addition of 83 new hires in May. The expanded flying from the hub will see both domestic and international routes finally here as summer flying ramps up. Massive increases in IPD flying towards the end of May include the return of seasonal flying and the addition of some wonderful new startups to our destination lineup. Network Planning elected to start up much of the summer season a week prior to the Memorial Day holiday, which is 10 days sooner than in 2025. This is reflected in the addition of nearly 20,000 extra flight hours allocated to DFW.

The allocations team and your elected leadership have already demanded closer analysis and accountability in the future forecasting of reserve numbers, especially with the new bank structure, to ensure we are protected in the near and distant future. Since many DFW crews are now transiting other hubs from the bid sheet construction, we wanted to be sure the balance of our headcount wasn’t being overly weighted to the reserve list just to protect the operation. We have asked for continued lower line averages to increase line holder status versus reserve utilization at our base, and to date, these requests have been granted.

As always, the following data charts and information bullet points will be helpful to you in your bidding.  Many of you should see an improvement in what you are holding as we continue to expand and fine-tune the hub’s operations. Thanks again for all you do in your daily routines. Safety and service are hallmarks of our careers, and DFW continues to excel in both. We appreciate your dedication to the profession. Fly safe and know your contract.

Important Dates:

• Contractual Month
  • May contractual month runs from May 2 – June 1 (31 days)
• Schedule Changes
  • May 7: First schedule change (minor adjustment)
  • May 21: Second schedule change (transition to summer flying)
  • 13-bank schedule: Begins after May 21
    • Exceptions: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays will notoperate on the 13-bank schedule
• Special Events Impacting Flying
  • Apr 29 – May 1: SDF – Kentucky Derby
  • May 1 – 3: OMA – Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting
  • May 21 – 26: YUL – Formula 1
  • May 22 – 25: IND – Indy 500
  • May 25: Memorial Day
• Changes to IPD

PBS Preliminary Manning Plan, DFW – May 2026

Crew Planning

DFW Total Block Hours for May 2026 – 412,020
Up from the previous month (402,823 in April),
and also up from a year ago (390,737 in May 2025).
Wide-body International – 30.1%

• Wide-body Domestic – 0.1%
• Narrow-body International – 13.1%
• Narrow-body Domestic – 56.7%

Satellite Base Hours:

• AUS – 1,714 (1,692 last month)
• STL – 3,141 (3,234 last month)

ODANs account for 7.6% of all NB sequences, with approximately 65.7 ODANs originating each day.

Systemwide Sequence Construction
Narrow-body (3-5 FA) construction

Sched Duty Length

• < 8 Hours    47.3%
• 8-10 Hours    26.7%
• 10-12 Hours    21.8%
• > 12 Hours    4.2%

Sched Block in Duty

• < 5 Hours    40.1%
• 5-7 Hours    41.4%
• 7-9 Hours    16.9%
• > 9 Hours    1.6%

Sched Legs in Duty

• 1    34.5%
• 2    51.1%
• 3    13.3%
• 4    1.1%

Sched Layover Rest

• <= 11 Hours    0.1%
• 11-12 Hours    4.1%
• 12-14 Hours    29.5%
• 14-16 Hours    20.1%
• 16-18 Hours    17.3%
• 18-20 Hours    9.4%
• 20-24 Hours    7.6%
• >= 24 Hours    12%

Sched Sits between Flights

• 2-2.5 Hours    13.6%
• 2.5-3 Hours    9.4%
• > 3 Hours    2.6%

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As always, know your contract and ask questions when you are unsure. Visit APFA.org for the most up-to-date information. Fly safe and stay vigilant out there. Thank you for your dedication and professionalism.

In Unity,

DFW Allocations Team

Robin Reitz
APFA DFW Base President

Luis Vasquez
APFA DFW Base Vice President

Fierce advocates for more than 7,300 DFW Flight Attendants