Source: Elines

Backstage 2019 Event pairings have been constructed and are available for pick up. Lineholders are expected to attend training on their days off.  If, however, based on an individual Flight Attendant’s awarded line of flying, she/he is unable to schedule themselves to attend on days off because of a conflict with a training pairing or the legal rest associated with the training pairing, she/he should contact the FAST team for scheduling assistance.                                                                                                                 

The company communicated the procedure for contacting FAST in this instance and we also communicated the process in this January 11, 2019 article.

Our JCBA in Section 11 - Trainings & General Meetings provides for pay protection, at the Flight Attendant’s option, during the Flight Attendant’s preference month when required training or meetings are not offered on days off in her/his originally awarded line of flying. 

Flight Attendants who are required to drop trips to attend required training or meetings because the training/meeting was not offered on their originally awarded line days off, shall be allowed to elect either to be released from duty with no [pay] protection (i.e., her/his pay guarantee shall be reduced accordingly) for non-training/meeting days where trips were dropped or to be protected in accordance with the provisions of Section 7.Q. A Lineholder who has elected such protection shall receive full pay and credit for the trip(s) missed, or for the training/meeting plus any credit from reassigned trips, whichever is greater.

The above provision references Section 7.Q.3. in the Scheduling Section of our JCBA, specifically, 7.Q.3.. This Section applies when we are required to attend meetings or trainings that are not offered on days off in our line of flying. In that instance, we call FAST to have a trip(s) dropped and replaced with an event pairing.

NOTE: Flight Attendants have the choice to elect pay protection for the dropped trip or not. If pay protection is chosen, any applicable remaining days of the trip lost that do not overlap the training pairing will show RX on our Master Schedule. RX does not mean we are on Reserve. RX is a scheduling designator code that indicates we have been pay protected on those dates and are subject to reassignment on those days if we choose to be as provided in Section 7.Q.3. since we have advance notice of the loss of our trip that was dropped for the event pairing.

JCBA Section 7.Q.3.
Notice of one or more calendar day 

At the time of the notification, if the Company does not advise the Flight Attendant of a replacement pairing(s) or relieve her/ him of responsibility, at her/his option she/he will: 

a)    Make up the time lost on days not originally scheduled to fly in which case her/his line guarantee will be adjusted. She/ he will then be relieved of all reassignment responsibility; or 

b)    Make up the time as close as possible to the time lost on days originally scheduled to fly with no loss of pay. She/he will then be relieved of all reassignment responsibilities; or 

c)     Be subject to reassignment in accordance with the following: 

(1).   After 1600 local time the day before check-in of the original trip, the Flight Attendant may  contact Scheduling which will advise the Flight Attendant whether she/he is likely to be given a trip assignment. 

(2).   If she/he chooses to remain subject to reassignment, the Flight Attendant must contact Scheduling between 1800 and 2200 local time the day before the original trip was scheduled to depart. Scheduling will either reassign the Flight Attendant or relieve him/her of all responsibility with no loss of pay.

Reminder: For those having February as their Preference Month for Backstage 2019, you are required to pick up the event pairing by 0700 on the January 27.  If you have not done so by that time, the Training Scheduling Department will assign you an event pairing.