AFA E-Lines: Apr 19, 2022

Return to Archives

AFA Debrief – April 19 2022

• United Informs Employees Our Airline No Longer Enforcing Federal Mask Mandate
•  Calculating Maximum Duty Day
• Cabin Jumpseat Authority (CJA)
• Cabin Jumpseat Authority (CJA) on Weight Restricted Flights
• Cabin Jumpseat Authority (CJA) Listing and Award Procedures
• Weight and Balance on the B-757
• Welcome Class 2207 New Hire Flight Attendants!

United Informs Employees Our Airline No Longer Enforcing Federal Mask Mandate

All of us were caught off guard by yesterday afternoon’s announcement vacating the federal mask mandate in transportation.  The announcement introduced a significant level of ambiguity not only for passengers but also for front line employees.  In response to the announcement, AFA International President issued a statement calling for calm and patience while additional legal analysis was conducted in order to get a better understanding of not only the meaning of the announcement, but also to develop a thoughtful approach to next steps.

Much to our surprise, United released a message to employees late in the day yesterday advising employees that our airline will no longer be enforcing the Federal Mask mandate.  The speed with which this change was implemented and its execution on a company-wide basis has created a great deal of uncertainly and concern for many.  We understand that, for many, this change is well overdue while, for others, there remains significant health and safety concerns especially in light of the CDC’s continued guidance recommending the wearing of masks on public transportation. While masks are no longer required for all domestic flights, there is much less clarity for travel to many international cities and the lack of a reference resource only adds to the uncertainty.

While United plans to closely monitor the situation for additional changes, at this point, we know the following:

• You are no longer required to wear a mask nor are you required to enforce a mask requirement for most of the flying public.  Having said this, United has also established a clear expectation consistent with the Working Together Guidelines.  That is, we are expected to respect the individual decisions of those employees and customers who choose to continue wearing masks.
•  Passengers and fellow crewmembers may choose to continue to wear masks onboard. If a passenger or crewmember asks you for a mask, to the extent a supply remains available in the customer kit, please continue to provide it.
• Unless on an international flight where masking is required, please discontinue all announcements and refrain from informing passengers about a requirement to wear a mask.
• Effective immediately, mask compliance cards are not to be distributed on any flights.
• While Irregular Operations Reports (IORs) for mask compliance issues are no longer required, please continue to follow SOPs and reporting procedures associated with any other passenger non-compliance issues.

It goes without saying that this abrupt change is creating uncertainty and, for some crew and passengers alike, the implementation of the change will create anxiety.  And, Flight Attendants are once again on the front line of the change expected to ensure a smooth transition that reassures the traveling public in the absence of concrete information. It’s fair to say that the lack of information on this change will make this difficult.  As more information becomes available, we will be sure to get that out via our Union communication channels.

Be reassured that your ability to continue to mask in the environment of the aircraft cabin will be respected.  Each one of us may have different reasons for concern and we must be comfortable in our decisions to address those concerns.  If you need someone to talk to, our peer professionals from Employee Assistance/Professional Standards are always available to support us.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out for assistance and reassurance at 800 424 2406.

Calculating Maximum Duty Day

Often a topic of confusion is determining our actual maximum duty day and the time at which the aircraft door must be closed to remain legal.

In order to answer these questions, let’s review the maximum duty time legalities found in our Contract - Section 6 - Minimum Pay and Credit, Hours of Service, and Contractual Legalities.

Domestic Maximum Duty Time

 
The above duty time provisions are based on the Flight Attendant’s Home Domicile Time (HDT).

*Limited to no more than seven hours (7:00) flight time, unless the duty period contains a single segment, in which case the single segment may exceed seven (7:00) hours of flight time; ground time no greater than two hours and thirty minutes (2:30) and no more than one flight segment after a red-eye flight. A redeye flight is one with any portion scheduled to operate from 0200 to 0400, local time.

**A High Value Trip (HVT) shall be limited to a single duty period starting between 0500 and 1859, containing no more than three (3) flight segments with a total flight time of nine hours (9:00) or more.

International Maximum Duty Time

 Under no circumstances shall a Flight Attendant be required to remain on duty, without her/his concurrence, in excess of the applicable maximum hours shown in the charts above, including deadheading.

Calculating the Time at Which Flight Attendants Will Go Illegal

Below is a simple formula that applies to all domestic duty times and all international duty times except the “Non-Stop 12:01 or over” category where the calculation is displayed in the chart above. 

Maximum Actual Duty Time                        __________________

Subtract Scheduled Duty Time          -        __________________

(This number represents how much time we have to play with before we go illegal)

Add Scheduled Departure Time         +        __________________

Equals Time You Go Illegal               =        __________________

It’s important to remember, depending on the circumstance, you may go illegal for a particular sequence based on maximum duty time, but you may be legal for a reassignment to another sequence that you are able to complete within the maximum duty time parameters.  Going illegal doesn’t always mean “going home.”

Cabin Jumpseat Authority (CJA)

Whether you are commuting for work or on leisure travel, knowing how to determine the number of available open jumpseats can be very useful in planning your travel.

The Fleet Reference Guide is a resource that displays all aircraft numbers, configurations, capacity, and the total number of jumpseats. The guide is found in multiple locations

• Link: Content Locker- Fleet Reference Guide
• Flying Together >> My Work >> Fleet Guide
• SHARES: Enter “GG JUMP FLEET” & then “submit”

Once the total number of jumpseats is identified by aircraft type, subtract from that the total number of working Flight Attendants for the respective flight number to find out how many jumpseats are available for use by other than the working crew.

To determine the number of working crew, in CCS on the SCHEDULE tab, choose CREW LIST from the drop-down menu. Simply input the flight number and the date of the flight you are interested in, then click on the orange “Crew” next to the flight details.

For more general information about Cabin Jumpseat Authority (CJA), review these previous articles:

CJA Authority on Weight Restricted Flights

Cabin Jumpseat (CJA) Etiquette

Cabin Jumpseat Authority (CJA) on Weight Restricted Flights

Section 3.A. in our Contract ensures that Flight Attendants following established procedures when requesting Cabin Jumpseat Authority (CJA), are not to be denied boarding on weight restricted flights when cabin jumpseats are available.  The protection on weight restricted flights applies to and is limited by the available Flight Attendant jumpseats on the flight in question.

Additionally, should seats be available in the cabin, after other stand-by passengers (revenue and non-revenue) have been accommodated, Flight Attendants may travel in the cabin, that is be cleared into available passenger seats when listing for cabin jumpseat authority, even if the jumpseats are occupied, provided that such travel does not displace revenue passengers.   However, while there may be passenger seats available, use of the passenger seats is not guaranteed on weight restricted flights to the same extent as the cabin jumpseat.

If you find yourself in a situation where there is confusion about the use of CJA on weight restricted flights, immediately contact your Local Council Office.

Cabin Jumpseat Authority (CJA) Listing and Award Procedures

While the use of Cabin Jumpseat Authority (CJA) is provided for under our Contract, its use is also subject to company regulations and this includes the ability for Flight Attendants to list for both non-revenue standby and jumpseat authority at the same time on the same flight.  Additional information regarding our contractual cabin jumpseat (CJA) privileges can be found in Section 3.A. in our Contract.

Guidelines for listing and awarding include:

• If a (physical) jumpseat is available and the aircraft is weight restricted, jumpseat authority will not be denied for any Flight Attendants.  The number of Flight Attendants using jumpseat authority on weight restricted flights may be limited to the number of available (physical) jumpseats.

Flight Attendants must check-in for the jumpseat no later than 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure.  Flight Attendants who have met the 30-minute check-in shall be awarded available jumpseats in jumpseat seniority order.  In an instance where self-service electronic means are not available, Flight Attendants shall have the ability to list and check-in with Customer Service Representatives (CSR) no later than scheduled departure.

• Walk-up jumpseating shall be permitted to the extent consistent with the needs of the operation and shall be awarded on a first come first served basis, and only after Flight Attendants who have met the 30-minute check-in have been awarded jumpseats.
•  Available Flight Attendant jumpseat(s) may be awarded prior to awarding non-revenue seats or “accommodating” other jumpseat authority riders in available passenger seats.
• Flight Attendants who decline the award of the jumpseat will be removed from the jumpseat list.
• The targeted guideline for the award of available jumpseats is 25 minutes prior to scheduled departure.  Flight Attendants must have checked-in and be present at the time of the jumpseat award.  That is, the Flight Attendant must be at the gate, in person, when called by the CSR for a jumpseat assignment, otherwise the next person on the list will be awarded the jumpseat.
• When seats are available in the cabin after other stand-by passengers (revenue and non-revenue) have been boarded, Flight Attendants may travel in the cabin on jumpseat authority, even if the jumpseats are occupied, provided that such travel does not displace revenue passengers.

As a reminder, our AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws establishes that the development of reciprocal agreements with other airlines is a priority of our Union. AFA has been successful in our efforts to date, and we continue to advocate for additional reciprocal agreements.  For more information regarding the agreement with each individual airline, visit our website at www.unitedafa.org.


Weight and Balance on the B-757

As we reported earlier this year and in accordance with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directive, safety guidelines in the operation of 757 aircraft were implemented to address maximum gross take-off weight at various times throughout the year. The result is the blocking of selected seats for the purposes of weight and balance. As a reminder, passengers or crew should not be utilizing these blocked seats.  Working crew should monitor these seats throughout the flight to ensure they are not occupied.  The specific seats are detailed by and vary by 757 aircraft type as follows:

It is also especially important for those of us commuting to work to be prepared for this potential reduction in available seats which cannot be used when jumpseating.

Keeping in mind, when using Cabin Jumpseat Authority, our Contract provides for the following in Section 3.A.:

Jumpseat authority shall not be denied due to aircraft weight restrictions. The number of Flight Attendants using jumpseat authority on weight restricted flights may be limited to the number of available (physical) jumpseats.

For more information and assistance, please contact your AFA Local Council office.


Welcome Class 2207 New Hire Flight Attendants!

We are excited to welcome our newest flying partners from class 2207 as part of our Flight Attendant community. Our newest flying partners will begin their careers in CLE, DEN, EWR, IAD, IAH, LAX and ORD.

We encourage you to welcome each of them amiably, help them learn from your experience to get them started on a path to success and adventure in their new career.

Please remember, our newest Members are on probation and to ensure that they are receiving the most accurate information to support them, be sure to direct them to their Local Council for assistance on Contractual issues.

And if you would like to become an AFA Buddy, reach out to your Local Council to learn how you can become part of this vital link to their success.

REMINDERS:
APR 22 – Earth Day
APR 29 - CQ 2022 Second Trimester CBT Completion Deadline
APR 30 – Joe Beirne Scholarship Closes

<<<<<READ THE FULL BRIEF>>>>>

top of page