4.06.24 – APFA DCA Base Brief – May 2024 Staffing and Allocations

May 2024 DCA Staffing and Allocations

Saturday, April 6, 2024

When PBS processing begins, if additional Lineholders are needed, those with Reserve status will be changed to Lineholder status in the following order:

1. Tentative Flight Attendants whose preference was Lineholder in the LRD process.
2. Reserve Flight Attendants who toggled to Pref LH in the LRD who were unable to hold Lineholder status in LRD.
3. Most junior Reserve Flight Attendants involuntarily moved to Lineholder status after all the above have been utilized.

Important: If you are in one of these 3 categories above, you will want to bid 7 layers of Reserve and 7 layers of Lineholder in PBS.

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• DCA: 41,114
• IAD: 1,944
• BWI: 2,959

46,017 Total flying hours (DCA, IAD, BWI) (+1650 hours month-over-month) (+2995 year-over-year)

• May will not be a flex month.
• The contractual targeted credit range default is 70-90 with an opening line average of 79.9.
• No unpaid VLOA’s for May
• DCA Reserve seniority for May begins at System Seniority 24,419 with OCC date of February 9, 2023.
• 30 New Hires total of which 5 will be in PBS for bidding and 25 will not be bidding but will get an assigned Reserve line.
• Reserve % is up 1.1 % compared to May 2023 with an increase of 34-line holders over May 2023.
• The overall headcount year-over year has increased by 45 Flight Attendants.

May Events and Timelines

• Kentucky Derby on May 4 🐴
• Cinco de Mayo on May 5
• Schedule Change happens on May 6
• Mother’s Day is May 12
• Memorial Day is on May 27

Allocations Notes for May:

• + 1650 block hours over April 2024
• 810 sequences
• Decrease in ODANS by six (6) positions per day. (BOS, JAX, LGA, PVD, RDU)
• LAX high time turns operating 31 days.
• PHX ‘pink eye’ sequences operating 31 days.
• BWI DFW turns operating 31 days.
• 25 charter/honor flights sequence #’s 13114, 13115, 13126, 13127, 13134, 13153, 13165, 13185, 13186, 13200, 13218, 13233, 13247, 13256, 13266, 13274, 13275, 13282,13348, 13363, 13375, 13533, 13538, 13561, 13562.
• 99 sequences with 3+ hour sit times.
• 6 Spanish speaker positions
• 56 NIPD sequences out of DCA with layovers: BDA, BJX, CUN, MGA, MTY
• 9 NIPD sequences out of BWI with layovers: ANU, GND, UFV
• Charter flight 9721 CLE-IAD sequence 13746 (charter for The Washington Nationals Baseball team)
• Destination in Canada: YVR, YYC, YYZ
• 93: 737 MAX sequences

Last month, we encountered two constraints during the PBS processing. The first constraint, requiring a minimum of 70 hours, was at base seniority 61, and the second constraint, requiring a minimum of 78 hours, was at base seniority 456. While both constraints have improved in seniority, we aim to eliminate constraints entirely moving forward.

Constraints are usually caused by the mixture of line holders versus reserves and the number of block hours for the month. (We are up 9.8% in block hours year-over-year.)

Flight Attendant bidding patterns also affect how PBS processes. In DCA, the percentage of high lines bid is lower than other bases, affecting the number of low lines awarded, the amount of vacation low lines, and the need for the second constraint.

Building our allocations for the month is a key contributor because of the undesirable sequences and the lack of flexibility within our trading systems.

As always, we will continue discussing DCA/IAD/BWI improvements.

Scheduled Duty Days:

• <8 hours: 49.3%
• 8-10 hours: 26.5%
• 10-12 hours: 21.9%
• >12 hours: 2.3%

Scheduled Legs in Duty Day:

• 1-leg: 31%
• 2-legs: 50.8%
• 3-legs: 16.7%
• 4-legs: 1.5%

Scheduled Layover Rest:

• < 11 hours: 0.4%
• 11-12 hours: 4.3%
• 12-14 hours: 27%
• 16-18 hours: 18.4%
• >24 hours: 11.3%

Scheduled Sit Times:

• 2-2.5 hours: 10.9%
• 2.5-3 hours: 9.2%
• >3 hours: 2.7%

May Bidding Timelines

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May 2024 System Reserve Seniority

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A New Document in Comply365 Requires Your Attention

In response to recent incidents and AA’s action plan with the FAA, a required Read and Acknowledge is being issued and is now available in Comply365.

What you need to do: Carefully review the document posted in Comply365 and follow the steps listed below to formally acknowledge your understanding of the procedures.

Comply365 > My Publications > Comply > ACTION REQUIRED: Read and Acknowledge

Your acknowledgement is required by May 18, 2024

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• An Unwavering Commitment to Safety
• Operational Reliability
• Threat and Error Management (TEM) & Crew Resource Management (CRM)
• Preventing Sexual Harassment

WBT Deadline: Monday, June 3 @ 11:59 pm (CT)

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Required Base Equipment and Service Training
Widebody Aircraft Training 777/787/IFS

Please note that mandatory widebody equipment and service training bidding opens the first and closes on the sixth of every month. If you are not qualified and you don’t bid for a date, you may be drafted into a class. Please ensure timely completion and submission to participate in the bid process.

Updated: FA numbers that still need to be trained as of April 1, 2024

• 54 FA: 777
• 146 FA: 787
• 47 FA: IFS

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Relocation of Employee Shuttle Bus Stops
begins on Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Please contact the Employee Parking Office at [email protected] if you have any questions.

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Final Notes for DCA:

This spring and summer, the longer DCA runway will close for continued maintenance at midnight each night. Flights may be diverted to IAD. If your flight is diverted once you arrive at the diversion airport, please get in touch with Crew Tracking and the Hotel Limo Desk for assistance.

APFA will be attending the annual Labor Notes Conference in Chicago from April 19-21. Labor Notes is a coalition of union members and leaders across the United States, Canada, Mexico and abroad. The purpose of these conferences is to help activists build networks based on common issues. Here is a live steam schedule for those who would like to join from home.

DCA would like to welcome all new hires that have joined our base in 2024. We are scheduled for additional new hires throughout the 2024 hiring process. Here are a few of the classes that have joined our ranks this year! Welcome!

WHAT DO WE WANT? CONTRACT! As many of you are becoming fatigued and concerned about the ongoing negotiation process, we want to assure you that we are fully committed to achieving a Contract that reflects the value and dedication of our Flight Attendants, and we recognize and appreciate the contributions made every day, especially over the past five years during the challenges of the COVID pandemic and public discord, rest assured we will continue working until every flight attendant feels valued and adequately rewarded.

Please continue to wear your red swag, and look forward to the next national picketing event!

Remember, our strength lies in unity, and together, we will succeed! Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication!

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WHAT DO WE WANT? CONTRACT!
WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW!

In Solidarity,

John Pennel
APFA DCA Base President
[email protected]

Dianne Britton
APFA DCA Base Vice President
[email protected]

Lisa Barnes
APFA DCA Base Council Representative – Allocations
[email protected]