460 FA's Recalled

[kirkpatrick]

eFlash: Flight Service Extends Recall Offer to 460 Furloughed Flight Attendants Effective November 13 and December 18, 2007



As a result of the focus on customer experience, attrition, a slight increase in 4Q07 flying and holiday staffing coverage, American will announce today an offer of re-employment to the 460 most senior flight attendants on the furlough list. Recalled flight attendants will most likely be based at BOS, DCA, LGA, and ORD. The most junior person being extended an offer for re-employment is seniority number 18219 and has a former TWA occupational seniority date of June 23, 1975 and an AA occupational seniority date of April 10, 2001.



This recall is occurring to meet anticipated attrition and maintain our competitive edge with respect to customer service. We are not growing the business, but are recalling flight attendants to help sustain the operation. However, it does reinforce our commitment to our employees, our customers and the future of our airline. We continue to invest in our airline and we are pleased to offer this opportunity to recall some of our furloughed crewmembers.



Detailed information regarding the recall, including a Q&A and the Recall Packet, is available on FSWEB under OAM Admin Manual.



Key Dates:

· August 15 Recall letter sent to 460 flight attendants

· August 27 Contractual deadline for furloughed flight attendants to FEDEX their accept/reject and base preferences form

· August 28 Deadline for the Company receive Accept/Reject Reemployment/Base Preference Form

· September 24, October 1, 8, and 15th Training classes for Recall #2

· November 5, 12, and 19 Training classes for Recall #3

· November 10-12 Travel to base (Recall #2)

· December 15-17 Travel to base (Recall #3)

· November 17-21 Bid for December flying

· December 18-22 Bid for January flying

· November 12/December 17 Report to base for Base Indoctrination

· November 13/December 18 Return to payroll (begin flying)



Attached is a list of employee numbers of recalled flight attendants who will receive a recall packet, which also has been provided to APFA for posting on their Web site.



Training for flight attendants who accept the offer of re-employment will be 3 ½ weeks in length. Former TWA flight attendants will also complete an Initial Operating Experience (IOE), a.k.a. a work trip. Details are available on FSWeb.



A final count of flight attendants who have accepted/rejected the recall will be available by August 30th.



We will communicate this recall to flight attendants later today. Also, a Press Release will be issued to the media later today.

 

[FWAAA]

Excellent news!

 

[TWskyliner]

Congrats to those choosing to return to their careers. I know a few of these fine people and AA will be getting the best of the best.

 

[jimntx]

Great News! Wish it could be more. It was my understanding that the Base Managers had BEGGED not to be sent into another holiday period understaffed. The Base Managers had asked for 800 recalls which was approved by the Executive Committee. The bean counters said no you can only afford 200. So, I guess they decided to split the difference.

BTW, I checked the transfer lists for the possible bases this morning. As you may or may not know, the transfer list must be opened for each base that has potential recall placements. Every current f/a on the transfer list for that base must be given the opportunity to accept or reject a transfer to that base before any recalled furloughees can be placed in that base. (When I was a new hire, some in my class were supposed to go to BOS, but all of the available slots were filled by transfers--mostly from LGA.)

As of today, here are the numbers on the affected bases:
BOS 6
DCA 1
LGA 11
ORD 62.

Bear in mind that the people on the list may or may not accept the transfer when offered; so, the final number of slots in each base will not be known until the transfer accept/reject period has ended.

If any base ends up being dropped from the list because all slots are filled, I would guess it would be ORD.

 

[s80dude]

Great News! Welcome back. I hope this recall includes Kirkpatrick...


What about the STL chair? Is Dixie in this recall?

 

[s80dude]

I went and looked and on the list and see that Kirkpatrick is in the recall! As is another guy who posts, Kornmann. I also see that Sherry Cooper is in the recall.

Again, welcome back to those returning.

 

[jimntx]

If the 460 proves to be correct, yes, Dixie AND Kirkpatrick are included in the recall. She is around 280 on the furlough list. He is a few numbers senior to Dixie.

You can look up people on the list posted on the APFA website. On the left hand side of the home page, scroll down until you see the Furlough link. Click on that then click on the link in red which says furlough list as of (some date).

Edit: S80dude: Sorry about that. My post and your second post evidently crossed in the ether.

 

[kirkpatrick]

LGA.)

As of today, here are the numbers on the affected bases:
BOS 6
DCA 1
LGA 11
ORD 62.

Jim,

Could you clarify this a bit? Does this mean the number of people who want IN to those bases, or the number who want OUT? A few weeks ago while prowling around in aaflightservice with one of the last recalls I noticed it seemed at least a quarter of LGA had transfers in to somewhere, but with four to five choices each, it was difficult to tell just who wanted to go where. I'm betting, and hoping, the majority will go to LGA.

The first 260 will have an online date of 11/13, and the remaining 200 on 12/18. I'm 239, so I just made the first group. With seven classes limited to 50 each, I assume they expect 350 to accept of the 460 offered.

MK

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

Jim,

Could you clarify this a bit? Does this mean the number of people who want IN to those bases, or the number who want OUT? A few weeks ago while prowling around in aaflightservice with one of the last recalls I noticed it seemed at least a quarter of LGA had transfers in to somewhere, but with four to five choices each, it was difficult to tell just who wanted to go where. I'm betting, and hoping, the majority will go to LGA.

The first 260 will have an online date of 11/13, and the remaining 200 on 12/18. I'm 239, so I just made the first group. With seven classes limited to 50 each, I assume they expect 350 to accept of the 460 offered.

MK

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GREAT NEWS(especially for Kirkpatrick)...............Truly wonderful news.

MK,

If you don't make LGA(and I can't see how you can miss) I'm betting BOS will be you 2nd choice .

 

[jimntx]

Jim,

Could you clarify this a bit? Does this mean the number of people who want IN to those bases, or the number who want OUT? A few weeks ago while prowling around in aaflightservice with one of the last recalls I noticed it seemed at least a quarter of LGA had transfers in to somewhere, but with four to five choices each, it was difficult to tell just who wanted to go where. I'm betting, and hoping, the majority will go to LGA.

The first 260 will have an online date of 11/13, and the remaining 200 on 12/18. I'm 239, so I just made the first group. With seven classes limited to 50 each, I assume they expect 350 to accept of the 460 offered.

MK

The transfer lists show people who want IN to a base. When you look at the lists and the name has multiple bases listed to the right--say, for instance, LGA,BOS,ORD--that means LGA is 1st choice, BOS is 2nd choice, etc.

If LGA were my 5th choice, but they are only offering transfers to LGA, and I fall within the seniority of the offer, I would still get an offer to transfer to LGA. I would then have some period of time (10 days, I think) to accept or reject the transfer.

Further administrivia...unlike International proffers, Domestic transfers can be refused. Much to the consternation of those of us on a transfer list, if there are 10 slots at a base, they send transfer notices to the 10 most senior people on the transfer list for that base. If 8 of them refuse the transfer, the company does NOT go back to the list and offer the next 8 people on the list an opportunity to transfer. For that transfer offer, only 2 people get to transfer.

Now, they are trying an experiment with Domestic mutual transfers where if one of the transfer candidates refuses the transfer, they do go back to the list for that base and offer the slot to the next person on the list. To clarify: A mutual transfer pairing is made between a DFW and an SLT f/a. If the DFW f/a refuses the transfer, they go back to see if there is anyone else at DFW who wants to transfer to SLT.

Slight difference with new hire classes or returning furloughees. If there are 10 slots at a base, the 10 most senior people on the list for that base would be offered transfers. If any of them refuse, the remaining slots are offered to the next people on the list. This continues until all slots are filled or the transfer list is "cleared."

For this recall, say for instance there are 65 slots available for ORD. If all 62 of the people on the transfer list to ORD accept the transfer (unlikely), there would be only 3 slots available for the returning furloughees.

ADDITIONAL INFO ALERT: I went back to check the transfer lists again. If someone has entered multiple base transfer requests--not uncommon for f/as currently in LGA--their name appears on every base list they have specified in seniority order; so, you don't have to worry about a particular name on a particular transfer list having multiple base choices.

Also, let's say that someone has multiple base transfer requests--ORD is 1st choice, BOS is 2nd choice--and there are slots available in both bases, if they are offered a transfer to ORD and refuse it, they are NOT then offered a transfer to BOS unless everyone senior to them on the BOS list has accepted or refused and there are still slots available at BOS.

 

[eolesen]

So Dixie goes back to the line, but has to resign as SLT base co-chair, right?...

Kirkpatrick, glad to see that you finally have a choice over trading in the orange apron for a blue one.

 

[lpbrian]

I don't see much mention of DFW. I take it DFW is quite senior?

 

[jimntx]

So Dixie goes back to the line, but has to resign as SLT base co-chair, right?...

Not necessarily. This is a stretch, but is within the realm of possibility. Remember that the APFA controls hardship transfers which do not have to follow seniority rules. It is possible that Dixie could be granted a hardship transfer to SLT.

 

[jimntx]

I don't see much mention of DFW. I take it DFW is quite senior?

There are people junior to me at DFW as a result of hardship transfers. One I know of got to transfer from SLT to DFW because her father has a terminal illness and her mother needs her help.

However, prior to the recent purge of the transfer lists (happens twice a year in January or February and in June or July--already I don't remember which. Sad when they get old isn't it?), I was something like #265 on the transfer list to DFW. The list was purged and everyone had to re-enter their transfer preferences. Already I am #145 on the list.

And, bear in mind that some people don't bother adding their names to the list until a transfer is announced. When the transfer of 15 f/as to DFW was announced for an effective date of 01JUN07, I was about 245 on the list. When the closing date arrived and the transfers were pulled, I had slipped to 273 on the list. BTW, only 10 of the 15 f/as accepted the transfer. The most JUNIOR f/a accepting the transfer effective 01JUN had 20 years on 03JUN.

 

[IORFA]

I would hope that being the Base Chair doesn't qualify someone for a Hardship Transfer. That would be ridiculous. Far more important reasons have been denied in the past. APFA V.P Durkin should have more common sense than that. Also AA is a party to these decisions, it isn't just APFA.