AFA E-Lines: Jul 19, 2024

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AFA Debrief - July 19, 2024

• Urgent! IRROP Update – Take Care of Yourself
• Master Executive Council Summer MEC Meeting Conclusion
• Returning to Availability List Following Standby Completion
• United Safety Culture Survey – Closes July 26
  
  

Urgent! IRROP Update – Take Care of Yourself

The systems crash caused by the CrowdStrike update has had a severe impact on the Operation, and our industry as a whole. 

Scheduling has informed us that in order to better manage the operation, they will be staggering out flight cancellations. We recognize this is having an impact on all of us. In addition to our IRROPS guide the following information will be useful as the company works through the recovery. 

If you are already at a hotel, and your flight has been canceled, or delayed to the extent where you are no longer legal to operate your next flight segment, remain at the hotel. 

If you have arrived at a layover hotel, and do not have sufficient legal rest, remain at the hotel until updated by Crew Scheduling. 

When contacting crew scheduling, designate one individual from a crew to be the contact. Doing so will reduce the call volume to scheduling. If you are in a HUB Location, seek assistance from the Local Base Leadership. They will have resources to assist in securing lodging for crews. 

Be sure to contact the correct department for hotels, Crew Scheduling is not able to provide you with accommodations.

If you end up sleeping on an aircraft, the domicile, or a terminal, you will not be expected to operate a flight until you have had sufficient, legal rest, at a hotel. Self-Help is not a requirement, but if you choose to, and are able to secure self-help, be sure to get a copy of the bill in order to secure reimbursement. 

Always be respectful and patient with each other, and Crew Scheduling as they work to get the operation up and running. Your Union leadership is working with the company to work through individual issues as they come up. Contact your local council for assistance. 

Master Executive Council Summer MEC Meeting Conclusion

After three days of in-depth discussion and action, the MEC Summer 2024 meeting concluded in Chicago this Thursday. Fourteen Local Council Presidents, the MEC Officers, many MEC Committees, and Union members engaged in the business of our Union. Daily summaries, election results, and additional records from the meeting will be posted to our MEC website as they become available.

Returning to Availability List Following Standby Completion

There have been questions recently about when a Reserve is to be placed back on the availability list on the same calendar day after having been released from a standby assignment (OSB), and when they are not.

Ultimately, it depends on how the Flight Attendant was initially assigned during the 1930 Reserve Assignment Process, as this determines their required availability for the following calendar day.

If, as a Reserve, you receive a Standby assignment for the following day as part of the Reserve Preferencing or clean-up processes (which are completed by 1930 HDT), you may not be returned to the availability list for the remainder of the calendar day following completion of that assignment. You should be shown as “Off Standby” (OSB) and then “released” (RLSD).

For example, Sarah was assigned 0500 Standby for tomorrow during the evening preferencing run. Sarah sits her 4-hour Standby shift the next day, receiving no flight assignment, and is done at 0900. When she calls to be released, Sarah should see the codes OSB and RLSD on her schedule for the remainder of the calendar day, and she is not required to be telephone available following her legal rest of 12 hours.

If, however, Sarah was assigned to “Ready Reserve” during the 1930 process, then is called later that night to be assigned to the 0500 Standby, she would not have to be released for the remainder of the calendar day after completing the Standby. Her schedule would only show the OSB code and she would be back on Ready Reserve availability following her 12-hour legal rest.

If you complete a Standby that was assigned during the 1930 process the evening prior and do not see the “RLSD” code in your schedule after the “OSB” has been applied, you should contact Crew Scheduling.

Please review the article posted on the Reserve page of our United MEC website, which provides more detail into this Contractual process.

United Safety Culture Survey – Closes July 26

United is conducting a voluntary safety survey that focuses on our safety culture and how safety is managed at the airline. Survey information was sent through company email last week and the survey will remain open until July 26.

The company has stated all responses are confidential and the survey is being administered by a third-party, Oliver Wyman Vector, who will analyze the responses, identify areas where improvement is needed, and make recommendations to United. As Safety Professionals and Aviation’s First Responders, we are well-positioned to provide our insight, perspective, and experiences into the health of the safety culture at United.

Through this survey we have a unique opportunity to further drive positive change through participation in this voluntary safety survey by providing our personal perceptions, how we feel about safety at United, and identify strengths and weaknesses in our safety culture. United’s “Safe to Say it” Policy, states “United will not tolerate any retaliation against employees who truthfully and respectfully speak their minds.”

The company did meet with the Union prior to launching the survey and reviewed the objectives with us. We plan to remain engaged with the company once the survey results have been analyzed to make recommendations and provide input on any actions plans that result from this survey.

One component of a healthy safety culture is reporting and communicating safety concerns. As a reminder, inadvertent violations of SOP and FAA Regulations should always be reported by filing an Inflight Safety Action Report (ISAP).

Reminders:

JUL - Disability Pride Month

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