2.26.18 – (LAA/LUS) – 2018/19 Annual Vacation FAQs

2018/19 Annual Vacation FAQs

APFA has been fielding calls from Flight Attendants with questions about how the 2018/19 annual vacation will work in conjunction with the present timeline for non-PBS bases to transition to PBS. The APFA JSIC has compiled the following FAQs to clarify:

Q1: Will Flight Attendants carry their vacation when transferring from non-PBS bases to PBS bases and vice versa? 

A: Yes, Flight Attendants will carry their scheduled vacation and be paid according to the contractual vacation rules of the base at the time the vacation is taken.

Q2: When a base transitions to PBS, what will a Flight Attendant receive for each day of vacation? 

A:When a base transitions to PBS, all vacation days will be paid according to Section 8.B.1 of the JCBA. With a block of 7 or more days, a Flight Attendant will be paid 4:00 hours per day. With a block of less than 7 days, a Flight Attendant will be paid 3:30 hours per day. All applicable premiums will be paid if the PBS award is 100% inclusive of said premium.

Once on PBS, a Reserve will be paid for all vacation days and applicable days off will be outside the vacation period. A Reserve with 7 or more days of vacation will have his/her off days pro-rated consistent with Section 10.D.18.
Q3: If a Flight Attendant at a PBS base transfers to a non-PBS base, how will he/she be paid? 

A: Lineholders will be paid the value of the trips that touch their vacation period. Reserves will be paid either 3:56 hours per reserve day if it’s a 31-day bid month or 4:10 hours per reserve day if it’s a 30-day bid month.

Note: Reserves at non-PBS bases are not paid for vacation days scheduled on days off.For example, if you have 7 days of vacation and two of those days are days off, you will not receive the daily rate on the 2 days off.

Q4: What are VEX days? 

A: VEX days are Vacation Extension Days. Flight Attendants at a PBS base can place up to 4 days on either side of their 7 or more day vacation period to extend their vacation. VEX days are unpaid, and once a Flight Attendant receives his/her PBS award, he/she will have the ability to pick up time via TTS/UBL or ETB on VEX days.

Q5: Will Flight Attendants who have vacation in February-April 2019 be awarded VEX days for those months when their base transitions to PBS? 

A:Yes. For example, if the base transitions to PBS in February 2019, a Flight Attendant will be able to bid for VEX days for that month. The bidding window for February VEX days will be towards the end of December, 2018

Q6: The current timeline provides for most non-PBS bases to transition from line bidding in January 2019 to PBS for February 2019. If a Flight Attendant at a non-PBS base has vacation at the end of January 2019 that carries over into February 2019, what will he/she be paid for the vacation days in January and February? 

A:If a Flight Attendant transfers from a non-PBS base to a PBS base, he/she will be paid trips missed for the days at the non-PBS base and the daily rate at the PBS base for the subsequent days.

If a Flight Attendant transfers from a PBS to a non-PBS base, he/she will be paid the daily rate for the vacation days at the PBS base and trips missed if removed from a trip at the non-PBS base the following month.

Q7: How will filler days be dealt with if a Flight Attendant transfers from a PBS base to a non-PBS base? 

A:Filler days will remain until used in the 2018-2019 vacation fiscal year. If transferring from a PBS to a non-PBS base and a Flight Attendant has unused filler days, the days will be paid out at the rate of 3:30 per day.

Q8: If a Flight Attendant transfers from a non-PBS base to a PBS base and has vacation, how will VEX days & filler days work? 

A: Since the Flight Attendant was not able to bid in the Annual Vacation Bidding process (AVBA) for filler days, he/she would not have filler days awarded. VEX days are available to all Flight Attendants at a PBS base with 7 days or more of vacation. VEX days are requested two months prior to the vacation month.

Q9: Will LAA Flight Attendants have the ability to pick up trips during their vacation at any point during the May 2018 to April 2019 vacation fiscal year? 

A:Yes, starting in August 2018, with the implementation of the Electronic Trade Board (ETB).

Q9: For LUS Flight Attendants that split their vacation into smaller increments and subsequently transfer to a non-PBS base, how will they be paid for vacation? And what happens with previously awarded VEX days and filler days? 

A: They would be paid trips missed at a non-PBS base. VEX days are only awarded if at a PBS base. Filler days will be held until the end of the vacation fiscal year. If not used, they will be paid out at the end of the vacation year.

Paul Hartshorn Jr.
APFA National Contract Chair
[email protected]