Source: Dear AFA

Within the past few weeks we’ve heard from a number of you about questions associated with information contained within the Weekly Purser Briefing documents. Many of you have expressed concern that the information appears to be a change from what Flight Attendants have historically done and some even appear to be violations of the Contract. In the spirit of working together, we’ve brought these issues forward to the group responsible for Inflight Policies and Procedures to identify the inaccuracies and to request these items be corrected.

With regard to the topic of Main Course Meals, the direction to use the “selection of all meals boarded including crew meals to ensure premium passengers are provided their first choice” is erroneous. Flight Attendants who place orders for special crew meals are under no obligation to relinquish those meals in order to satisfy the “first” or any meal choice of a premium passenger. Crew Meals are negotiated to ensure that working crew members are properly nourished in order to meet their safety and security responsibilities and the ability to order special meals is intended to facilitate that negotiated intent. The ability to order special meals in lieu of crew meals is a mutually understood practice that has been in effect since January of 1995. Flight Attendants flying in the purser position should not use crew meals or special meals ordered in lieu of crew meals or any components of these meals as passenger meal components. Using these special meals would deprive a working flying partner or her/his Contractual entitlement to a crew meal and would be a violation of the Contract and we have notified the company as such.

In the same edition of the Weekly Purser briefing, the company suggests that Flight Attendants are responsible for completing the international arrival documentation for unaccompanied minors.

Completion of international arrival documentation is not work that has traditionally been performed by Flight Attendants. Beyond lacking the requisite training to understand the proper method to complete these forms, in many cases we simply lack the information necessary to accurately complete the forms. Depending upon the age of the minor child, we may or may not be able to ascertain the correct information necessary to complete these forms. In speaking with Customs and Immigration, there could be ramifications for the passenger who attempts to clear customs should the forms be incomplete or contain inaccurate information.

Flight Attendants, as we have traditionally done, should continue to ensure the UMNR has the appropriate paperwork for arrival at her/his destination. On arrival at the station, ensure the proper hand off of the child to Customer Service Personnel. Completion of this paperwork is a responsibility that has traditionally been the responsibility of ground personnel who will ultimately have access to the adult(s) meeting the child from whom the accurate and complete information for the arrival documentation can be obtained. We have requested a retraction and correction of this information.

As has been identified by a number of Members, the most recent edition of this publication contains additional inaccurate information regarding Language Incentive Pay (LIP). As we should all be aware, in appropriate situations, the purser has the authority to approve LIP for LQFAs on non-incentive flights or on a LIP flight where a different language may actually be needed. Compensation for the language translation services rendered in these circumstances is generated by the purser sending a DSPFAC remarks entry with the Flight Attendant’s name, file number, domicile, flight number, segment, language used and the specific reason the language was used. That’s where the responsibility of flight attendant filling the purser position ends.

The manner in which this briefing item and the language in the FAIM is written appears to create an obligation for the purser where one does not, nor has it historically, existed. Contrary to what is published in Edition 12, it is not in any instance the purser’s responsibility to ensure that a LQFA receives language incentive pay. Rather, it is the responsibility of the individual Flight Attendant who will receive LIP to follow-up with payroll to ensure that Payroll representatives have properly taken action on the written authorization provided by the purser. The way the language is written “literally” appears to create this additional “follow-up” responsibility where one does not, nor has it ever, existed. We expect this language will be corrected in an upcoming update of the FAIM.