September Pull Down in Flying

September Pull Down in Flying

Many of you have already seen your upcoming September pairings change. Almost every time we log in, there is a new notification now.

Some important details:

1. As the September flying pull down begins, we are happy to say that the company has agreed to provide hotels in base for commuting Flight Attendants within the footprint of your original pairing. So, if you originally had a 4-day trip, your 3 nights in between are covered! We know this was a concern for commuters and hope this will help relieve some of that stress for the rest of the September bid period.

2. You may see RSV spaces in your schedule where flying once was. This is not your set schedule. It will continue to change. For example, you were supposed to be on duty from 0500-1200 because you had 3 legs of flying. But, two of them are now canceled due to the pull down. Crew Planning will likely put a RSV period in there to keep the day intact. Those RSV spots are just placeholders and you should expect to be flying. They plan to change it again 24-48 hour before that day. However, as we all know, there still may be more changes as your pairing progresses. Plan to be working during the footprint of your pairing, but remember that things may continue to change.

Please review the Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 7 – Scheduling, especially the Rescheduling and Extension section (7.K) and the Trip Cancellation section (7.L).

October Vacations:

While the company did offer vacation buybacks at 150%, they said they did not get enough volunteers and will have to cancel October vacations. We are currently working with management in regards to what other options FAs may have. For now, we suggest you review the CBA Section 11 Vacation to review your vacation options and opportunities for reimbursement for cancelled plans. For now, on the Flight Attendant side, the company wants to take it month by month in regards to cancelling vacations. However, you should prepare yourselves. There is still a chance that no one will have vacation again for the rest of the year.

October Flying

The October 2021 bid period will be October 01, 2021 – October 31, 2021. That makes October a 31-day month with a minimum of 12 days off.

Bidding Timeline:

Bidding opens September 10 at 1200 CT

Bidding closes September 15 at 1200 CT

Awards published on September 20 at 1200 CT

Estimated Number of Lines:

STL 24

ORD 61

EWR 62

RIC 5

Credit Hours by Base:

STL 2285

ORD 5345

EWR 4597

RIC 501

Average Daily Credit by Base:

STL 4:49

ORD 4:21

EWR 4:27

RIC 5:04

EWR Flight Attendants:

You have 62 lines of flying and only 34 Flight Attendants as of bidding time. Please bid carefully!

ALL Flight Attendants:

The staffing shortage continues to put hardship on all of our crewmembers. The lack of reserves at other bases can still impact your base. The overall reserve grid will still be hard to balance for October.

If you have any scheduling questions, feel free to email your Scheduling Committee Chair Shannan Simmons at [email protected].

And as always, feel free to reach out to your union officers with any questions!

In Solidarity,

Brittany A. Smith, LEC31/MEC President
[email protected]

Morris Bridges, LEC31/MEC Secretary
[email protected]