4.20.22 – APFA PHX Base Brief – Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Wednesday, April 20, 2022
APFA PHX Mid-Month Update for April 2022

**Weekend Freeway Travel Advisory**

Please be aware of the following freeway closure when traveling to/from PHX Sky Harbor Airport this weekend. I-10 will be closed in both directions from 10pm on Friday, April 22, to 4am on Monday, April 25, for utility relocation work.

• Eastbound I-10 will be closed between SR 51 and SR 143. The eastbound I-10 on-ramps between Third and 40th streets; the southbound I-17 on-ramps at Seventh Avenue and Seventh Street; the westbound Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) ramp to eastbound I-10; the southbound SR 51 on-ramp at McDowell Road and ramp from southbound SR 51 to eastbound I-10 will be closed.

• Westbound I-10 will be closed between SR 143 and I-17. The westbound I-10 on-ramps between Elliot Road and 32nd Street, the westbound US 60 (Superstition Freeway) on-ramp at Mill Avenue and the westbound US 60 ramp to westbound I-10 will be closed.

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Mask Mandate at American Airlines Discontinued

In accordance with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) no longer enforcing the federal face mask mandate, face masks are no longer required for AA employees and customers at U.S. airports and on domestic flights, effective immediately.

Please note face masks may still be required based on local ordinances, or when traveling to/from certain international locations based on country requirements.

Please check Comply before each flight to ensure you have the latest information.

Except for London-Heathrow, masks are still required in all European Union countries, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, Argentina and Chile.

AA employees and customers may continue to wear masks at their discretion on domestic flights and to international destinations that no longer require masks.

The Company is in the process of updating our inflight manuals, PAs, airport signage, Jetnet policies and other references to the mandate. This is expected to be completed in the coming days.

Thank you to our professional crews who have been on the frontline, for enforcing the mandate since it began.

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PHX Sky Train® Shutdowns in April

The PHX Sky Train® will shut down through Tuesday, April 26 at the listed times:

From 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

• Wednesday, April 20 through Sunday, April 24
• Tuesday, April 26

• Monday, April 25

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London Flights Return to/from PHX!!!

Our PHX-LHR-PHX service resumed on April 5, 2022, with PHX-Based Flight Attendants working the segments. The crews working these flights have been phenomenal, however, we have had one LAG violation departing out of LHR.

If you are working an LHR sequence, please, it is important to look through your luggage for any liquids, gels or aerosols that are not in your LAG bag. Even a small bottle of water can trigger a baggage search, and a crew member violation. A search of a crew members luggage can lead to a delay and inconvenience our passengers. Crew member violations could lead to personal fines, as well as disciplinary action. We have had feedback from crews that these sequences require teamwork and are hard work. We no longer have a 10 FA compliment; we are currently working these round-trip sequences with 9 FAs and with full flights, teamwork is what makes the flights go smoothly.

As a reminder these are the restrictions for LAG’s coming out of LHR:The following restrictions apply to all liquids, creams, gels, pastes and aerosols taken through security control:

• Liquids may only be carried in containers holding 100ml or less.
• They must be carried separately in a single bag which is:
  • Transparent and resealable
  • No larger than 20cm x 20cm (8in x 8in)
  • Able to close properly with all the items inside.
• At security control, place the bag in the tray with your other items.
• Liquids in containers over 100ml will not be permitted through security – please pack them in your hold baggage instead. (hold = checked).

Pursers will have all the necessary information you need to assist with the London experience. However, it is up to all FAs to know the aircraft as well as your position and position responsibilities both boarding and onboard service. To assist with this we are suggesting you bookmark the following information in your EFB or, for those who have not yet transitioned, the Tablet.

IFM

• Section 2.3 — Border Regulations
• Section 2.14 — Passport and Visa Requirements
• Section 9.2 — Bassinet
• Section 10.1 — IFE forms
• Section 10.2 — Audio equipment
• Section 10.3 — Wireless internet
• Section 10.4.5 — Panasonic (eX2-eX3)
• Section 11.10.2 — TTL Aircraft Reference Guides, 777-200ER (Super Diamond) 777-200ER (Concept-D) sections
• Section 11.10.4 Passenger Seats—Troubleshoot and Malfunction Guide, Concept D and Super Diamond seat details
• Section 14—777

Destination Information publication

• All sections and the Europe Destination section

Onboard Service Manual

• 4.2.3.5—777-200 IPD
• 4.3—Service Position Assignment Charts
• 4.3.28—IPD FA 1- Purser and BC aisle for position 1
• 4.3.31—IPD FA 4*, 5- BC galley & aisle for position 5
• 4.3.32—IPD FA 4, 6, 7, 10 (12)- BC aisle for positions 4 and 7
• 4.3.33—IPD FA 2- MC galley & aisle for position 2
• 4.3.34—IPD FA 3, 6, 8, 9, 11 (10), (13)- MC aisle for positions 3, 6, 8, 9
• All of Section 5

Please remember IPD flights require a report for duty of one hour and fifteen minutes (1.15) prior to departure. Flight Attendants will be required to be onboard the aircraft ready to receive the passengers at fifty (50) minutes prior to scheduled departure. (JCBA Section 14 – International Flying). This does not mean that you arrive on the aircraft 50 minutes prior to departure; this means that you have briefed, stowed your bags, done your precheck and are at your boarding positions ready to receive passengers. Exceptions to this are last minute standby call outs or reserves called from home with less than 2 hours to sequence report. Those FAs will report to the aircraft and brief with the Purser.

It is also important to know your JCBA! Please review JCBA Section 14 – International Flying. It covers all information with regards to contractual guidelines for IPD flying.

Let’s keep this flying operated by PHX Flight Attendants!

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PBS Mis-Award Process

Any Lineholder or Reserve who has an inquiry or believes she/he may have received a mis-award must submit a PBS Award Challenge on Crew Portal > Links > Support Tab, no later than Sunday, April 24 at 1200 (CT).

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Reserve Tidbits

It is imperative that if you are a reserve, call scheduling and tell them they are “calling out of time” once you reach 85.01 or higher RSVCOT for the month.  If you do not and you are given a sequence on the last day of the month that transitions to the next month, you may very well be legal for that sequence.  Please remember that transition sequences that begin on the last day of the bid month are based on actual flying time for the day and not the variable minimum.

For Example: FA Robin is currently at 87.30 RSVCOT for the month. She does not call out of time. On March 31st, she is given RAP C and subsequently called for a sequence with one leg to LAS with a duty time of 1.25. She would be legal for this sequence as 87.30 and 1.25 = 88.55. If you see that you have been given a RAP at the end of the month and you are already at RSVCOT of 85.01 or higher, immediately call Crew Scheduling to tell them you are calling out of time, if you haven’t already done so.

Be cautious with Standing Bids. The ROTD programming will not assign two reports in one calendar day, but it will award two reports in the same calendar day. Having a Standing Aggressive Bid can cause quite the wakeup call or cause a missed trip.

Also keep in mind, after you have 40 hours on your schedule and aggressive award while on a RAP will not count towards yours RSVCOT. Trips or STBYs awarded by ROTA will. The 40 hours is calculated by what is today and the past. So vacation hours at the end of the month are not included until the date of the vacation day. Example: 40 hours of vacation at the beginning of the month count and if awarded an aggressive bid, the trip would not count towards calling out of time. If the 40 hours of vacation are at the end of the month, they have not yet occurred and would not count yet, and you could bid aggressive and use the trip to call out of time.

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AFA/APFA Optional Short-Term Disability Insurance

In early 2013, former Legacy US Airways Flight Attendants were provided an optional Short-Term Disability plan through the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA). Many Flight Attendants, both active and retired, remain enrolled in this plan. The short-term disability plan was completely voluntary and provided tax-free benefits in the event you are disabled due to an injury, illness, or pregnancy.

American Airlines currently offers an optional Short-Term Disability plan during Annual Enrollment through MetLife. Under the Company’s plan, you would not be able to collect OSTD benefits until you have exhausted all of your sick time.

In January of 2019, APFA announced a newly negotiated direct relationship with AFLAC for voluntary supplemental benefits to be offered to APFA Members. One of the benefits is also a Short-Term Disability plan.

It has recently come to our attention that some Flight Attendants are enrolled in and are paying into all three of the above Short-Term Disability plans. It is important to note that the AFA-CWA and APFA plans are both underwrote and wholly-owned under AFLAC incorporated. Therefore, you are unable to claim both plans.

If you are currently paying into both plans, it is important to contact either National Group Protection or AFLAC to cancel either plan and request a refund for your paid premiums. Here is the contact information for both companies:

National Group Protection (NGP): 800-344-9016

AFLAC: 877-453-2385
No action is needed if you have only the AFA-CWA plan or only the APFA plan. Also, if you have the STD plan through American, you are allowed to double-dip once you deplete your sick bank.

If you have any questions, please contact Joe Klimek, Broker with CAOP, LLC at [email protected].

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APFA PHX Phone Number
800-595-1471

• Ext. 1 – National Office and Contract & Scheduling Desk
• Ext. 2 – PHX Base President Robin Agee
• Ext. 3 – PHX Base Vice President Secorra Flowers
• Ext. 4 – Mandatory Meeting Representation
• Ext. 5 – Medical and Injury on Duty
• Ext. 6 – Reserves
• Ext. 0 – General Questions

Save the image below, for when you do not have access to the internet:

Robin will be on vacation from April 24th thru April 30th. If you have any questions during that time, you can call 800-595-1471 and leave a voicemail at ext. 0. Secorra or a Base Council Representative will return your call.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

In Solidarity,

Robin Agee
APFA PHX Base President
480-238-2303
[email protected]

Secorra Flowers
APFA PHX Base Vice President
602-551-8116
[email protected]