AFA E-Lines: Nov 15, 2022

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·      Second Round Vacation Bidding Closes November 16

·      Annual Benefits Open Enrollment Closes November 18

·      December 2022 Special COLAs Awarded

·      AFA Flight Attendants Honor Picket Line at American

·      Checking-in and Out of Our Layover Hotels

·      Senior Opting (Section 7.O.7.)

·      AFA Welcomes Class 2237!

Second Round Vacation Bidding Closes November 16

Second Round Vacation bidding will close on November 16, 2022, 0800 Home Domicile Time (HDT).  Awards will be posted no later than November 20, 2022.

For additional information on the rules when bidding for vacation, please refer to the 2023 Vacation guide on our website at www.unitedafa.org. 

Annual Benefits Open Enrollment Closes November 18

Annual Benefits Open Enrollment for active employees closes November 18, 2022. 

From the Flying Together website, you can access the Your Benefits Page (YBR) and, using the technology that is part of the page, compare up to three plans side-by-side, including 2023 costs, using the “Price & Compare” tile. This feature is intended to provide information that will help you to determine the health and wellness programs and their costs that best fit your needs for coverage for the upcoming year.

Enrollment is completed through United’s “Your Benefits Resource (YBR) website, which may be accessed through the “Useful Websites Link” on our website; or you may call the United Airlines Benefits Center with questions regarding enrolling or using the “Your Benefits Resource” website at (800) 651-1007.

December 2022 Special COLAs Awarded

Special COLAs for the December bid month were awarded as follows and award status can be seen on the Special COLA CCS Request screen.

Flight attendants awarded the December Special COLA will be required to complete any overlapping assignments into the December bid month. 

This MAY NOT be the final Special COLA list for December. Additional Special COLAs for the month may be awarded. The final list will be posted to Flying Together before the December flying month begins.

AFA Flight Attendants Honor Picket Line at American

Today, American Airline’s Flight Attendants, represented by APFA, picketed at airports across the country.  At many locations where we share bases with American, AFA Members, along with members ALPA, APA, IAM TWU and Members of other supporting Unions joined them on the picket line in a strong demonstration of Solidarity and a shared determination to lift the standards for Flight Attendants across the country.

Now, all the Flight Attendant Union Members are standing together to rebuild their career by negotiating fair Contracts at each airline with improvements in pay, healthcare, retirement, and quality of work life.

With a tremendous success with an incredible turnout of Flight Attendants across the country, we know that today, on September 27th, and every day thereafter, we stand in Solidarity with our Sisters and Brothers on the picket line and on airplanes around the world as we take our profession back.  

We look forward in continuing to work together in lifting the standards for Flight Attendants with pay, healthcare, work rules and retirement equal to our hard work, commitment, and sacrifice.


Checking-in and Out of Our Layover Hotels

Section 5.B.4. of our Contract establishes our responsibility to check into and out of our layover hotels. Given the, at times, shorter layovers, or last-minute reassignments, overlooking check out is something that can happen unintentionally.  Nevertheless, this is something that we must all collectively make a priority as part of maintaining United’s relationship with these hotels. Based on this check-out requirement, Flight Attendants are not required to provide a credit card for room service or in-room telephone calls at check-in. 

When checking out, settle all charges incurred during your stay, including telephone calls or room service charges and request a receipt.  This is an excellent way to ensure that erroneous charges have not been applied, in error, to your room folio during the course of your stay.

If you encounter circumstances where you are required by any layover hotel to provide a credit card, complete a Hotel & Transportation Report Form available from www.unitedafa.org. Our MEC Hotel & Transportation Committee will follow-up.

Senior Opting (Section 7.O.7.)

Reserve Flight Attendants who have questions regarding the application of the language in Section 7.O. of our Contract are encouraged to review the circumstances under which a Reserve can be senior opted from her/his position.

As outlined in the Contract, Reserve Flight Attendants may be senior opted out of a position under the following circumstances: 

·      At the airport, only the open position that was assigned to a Reserve is available for senior option. If a more senior Flight Attendant senior opts the Reserve from her/his position, the Reserve Flight Attendant assumes the position that was vacated by the more senior Flight Attendant. The Reserve may only be opted out of a position once, and the seniority option can occur only at the beginning of a pairing and before preflight duties have begun. 

·      Reserve Flight Attendants assigned to a position having a different pairing number cannot be opted out of the position unless the pairings contain identical flight segments. Language qualified (LQ) Reserve Flight Attendants may only be senior opted by senior LQ Flight Attendants having the same primary language qualification and in the language base.

Note: Reserve Flight Attendants assigned to an LQ position who are not qualified in the designated language may be opted by a more senior Flight Attendant

·      Reserve International Purser qualified Flight Attendants may only be senior opted by a more senior International Purser Flight Attendant. An International Purser Qualified Flight Attendant shall have priority over a non-International Purser Flight Attendant who has been assigned to an open International Purser bid position.

Exception:  If the Purser (“A” position) is picked up from open time, seniority option shall be permitted among all of the Flight Attendants on the same pairing even if the position is occupied by a lineholder.  

Additional information can be found in Section 7.O.7. of our Contract or by contacting your Local Council.

AFA Welcomes Class 2237!

We are excited to welcome our newest flying partners from class 2237 as part of our Flight Attendant community. Our newest flying partners will begin their careers at bases in EWR, GUM, IAD, and ORD.

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

Please remember that our newest Members are on probation. To ensure that they receive the most accurate information to support them, 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:

NOV 16 – Second Round Vacation Bids Close at 0800 HDT
NOV 18 – Annual Benefits Open Enrollment Closes
NOV 24 – U.S. & Guam Holiday – Thanksgiving Day
NOV 25 – Native American Heritage Day
DEC 30 – Last Day for Telephone Orders for Uniform Items with Cintas®

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