7.03.26 – APFA ORD Base Brief – August 2026 Staffing and Allocations

August 2026 ORD Staffing and Allocations

Friday, July 3, 2026

Happy July, Chicago.

We are amid summer flying and the heat is not letting up. The company has also been increasing the heat on EFB compliance. Be sure in these busy months you are keeping your EFB charged, updated, and synced prior to each duty day and flight. Also, don’t forget to check if you have all the FAA required items with you before you arrive at the airport for any assignment.

Comply 365 -> IFM -> Work and Conduct Rules -> FA Equipment

• Valid Passport
• AA ID
• Powered on and Charged EFB with updated IFM
• Functioning Flashlight
• Wristwatch
• Company Keys

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Important Dates

• August Contractual Month: August 1 – August 30
• July 1 – July 7 is deemed the “critical period” for attendance. Please review American Airlines Attendance and Performance Policy for information or reach out to your Crew Attendance Manager at [email protected].

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APFA ORD Virtual Town Hall

On Friday, July 17 at 1200 PM (CT), APFA ORD will host a virtual town hall. We anticipate recording the session and posting it on the AFPA ORD Base Page for those who are unable to watch live. A link to join the virtual town hall will be sent prior to the meeting.

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T-5 Utilization – Domestic Flying

According to Management, sporadic arrivals into T5 should have ended in the month of May. As we begin July, these arrivals may continue for late night arrivals, we have been told they will try to prioritize our regular arrival gates before T5.

There is a CATCO (Bus provided by ORD Airport Authority) buses arrive every 15 minutes from 1100-2130.

For arrivals after 2130, there will be an American Airlines buses available to transport Crew Members to Terminal 3 to avoid the walk and going back through security.

Buses depart M from gate M13 and drop off at the K19 bus stop.

For questions and issues with transportation, the base manager is:

• Fashawna Whiteman – ORD Base Manager  [email protected]

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Allocations

Today was the Staffing and Allocations call for the contractual month of August.

Allocations for the August bid month remain largely consistent with July. Approximately 28% of flying will be on widebody aircraft, with no domestic widebody sequences scheduled.

Voluntary Leaves of Absence (VLOAs) will be offered for August. The Company initially proposed 30 VLOAs for ORD; however, after APFA advocated for additional opportunities, the number was increased to 40.

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Staffing

The month of August is the first month in many months where there are no new hire classes graduating and starting in the August bid month. We hope to see more new hires next year when hiring should resume.

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Reserve Numbers

Reserve is at 23.1% for the month of August.

August reserve numbers are .9% higher than last August. Our headcount for 2026 is 3,105 vs 2025 where our headcount was 2,825.

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Daily Departures

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Sequence Distribution

• 1-day: 26% in August vs 27% in July
• 2-day: 23% in August vs 22% in July
• 3-day: 49% in August vs 48% in July
• 4-day: 3% in August vs 3% in July
• ODAN Starts per day: 9.3 in August vs 14.5 in July

ODAN flying is lower in the month of August due to network planning and the schedule was built. There are many 5/5:30 between flights that used to be feasible for ODANS, but don’t have enough time with the August departures. We will monitor this decrease for future month allocations.

28% of flying is widebody aircraft.

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PBS Preliminary Manning Plan

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Previous Month(s) PBS Awards

Below is some information from the most recent PBS bid run (July 2026) to give an idea of what different seniorities held in Chicago. These do not guarantee how the month of August will end but may provide some perspective on what different seniorities hold in the summer months.

You can utilize the APFA website to review previous months and years bids to gather more information on bid awards: APFA PBS Award Files

July 2026 awards:

• Hours:
  • Forced to 1^st constraint – 70.00 minimum – System seniority 2,634
  • Forced to 2nd constraint – 78.00 minimum – System seniority 9,509
  • Awarded low time <70 hours – 111 FAs
• IPD Most Junior* –
  • Spanish Qualification Most Junior* – 21,520
  • Italian Qualification Most Junior* – 24,077 system seniority
  • Greek Qualification Most Junior* – 8,594 system seniority
  • French Qualification Most Junior* – 24,077s ystem seniority
  • Non-language IPD most junior* – 19,155 system seniority

*Held at least one trip in the month of July

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]