Recently,  the company has sent out notifications to flight attendants in the over fly and under fly categories even if the flight attendant is over or under by 4 minutes.  In similar cases are these notifications unreasonable you ask?  In-flight was asked if the supervisor sending out this notification reviews each flight attendant's monthly activity prior to sending the notification out.  The answer was no. I guess the company feels it is easier to review each and every response provided back to In-flight by all flight attendants even those that should not have received a notification in the first place. Just to note: Some mistakes were made in this recent notification to flight attendants advising of over fly as some flight attendants had vacation fly back as the review was for the month of July.

In-flight advised that this is for now just 'awareness' for the flight attendant group.  Apparently it worked as many flight attendants have picked up the telephone to share their thoughts.  Some still not understanding or some still needing a quick review of how picking up and dropping time on the ETB can affect one's monthly schedule.  For the most part every flight attendant wishes to be in compliance.

As F Y I - a flight attendant is allowed 2:00 under their monthly obligation and 3:00 over their monthly obligation.  Example:  your post SAP obligation is 85 hours ( no use of the ETB) - you may finish your month at 83:00 or 88:00 - and not be notified of under or over flying.  Reminder: any ETB time picked up / dropped changes your obligation but the 2/3 hour rule still applies.

In addition to SEC 9 Scheduling: D 1 General Use of the ETB - There are other contract sections you may want to review:

SEC 10 Hours of Service: C Monthly Maximum 1. -

SEC 10 Hours of Service: C Monthly Maximum 2 a. no flight attendant shall be required to work into his/her eleven (11) scheduled days off to reach his/her monthly flying obligations.  He/she does not have to fly on a holiday he/she was not scheduled to work in his/her primary, post-SAP, secondary line, augmented secondary line or Preferential Bid line ( when implemented)unless in accordance with SEC 11 Reserve D. Priority of Assignment ( please review)

SEC 9 Scheduling: E Open Pairing Processing and Assignment of Pairings 8 c. Lineholder Open Time Award - please review

SEC 9 Scheduling: F Over projection Adjustments During the Month of Flying 1. 2. - please review

SEC 9 Scheduling: H 3. Reasonable Effort - the burden rests with the flight attendant to demonstrate a reasonable effort was made to make up the lost time.  For purposes of paragraphs 1. 2. above ( please review these exceptions) a flight attendant may make himself/herself available at his/her discretion and does not have to make himself/herself available on a holiday he/she was not schedule to fly.  A flight attendant satisfies the reasonable effort requirement if at any time(s) during the bid month he/she makes himself/herself available ( for pairings commensurate with his/her seniority) for the equivalent number of duty periods, plus one additional duty period, that were lost in the carryover pairing.  These duty periods need not be consecutive. - Examples provided in the contract.

SEC 7 Vacation: C Vacation Adjustments - please review

SEC 8 Sick Leave: F Claiming Sick Leave - please review

This is just a sampling of contract language that may apply to your circumstance.  There are usually many mitigating factors when a flight attendant is found to be under or over their monthly flying obligation - the contract language may offer you explanations to supply to the In-flight department should you find yourself in this predicament.

Under fly: In smaller bases it is sometimes difficult to pick up time.  Does that mean the flight attendants in smaller bases should not be able to exercise contract language that allows one to trip improve? ~ Of course not ~  If a flight attendant has made a reasonable effort to pick up the time dropped, then the low block notification has some mitigating circumstances.  Contract language applies to everyone, not just some.

Over fly: A flight attendant can loose track of what was dropped ETB and what was picked up on the AIL to try and make up the monetary loss.  Simply, the rule is, you drop your company time on the ETB you cannot pick up on the AIL.  You will put yourself in jeopardy of an over fly situation.  Are there circumstances where your pairings during the course of the month have irregular situations and you fly over the published value which may result in you over flying your monthly obligation?  Yes.  Is this an example of mitigating circumstances, yes.

We do have some 'poison' language in our contract (this is not the only section but worth mentioning) and it is in SEC 10 Hours of Service Q. Split Pairings.  This language hits the reserve group the hardest. Sometimes as a result of flight attendants making their monthly adjustments to remain in compliance, reserve flight attendants get stuck 'holding the bag' so to speak.  A reserve flight attendant can actually fly 6 days in a row just assigned split trips.  A credited value for this 6 day flying can reach maybe 15 hours if they are lucky.  Yes, this is atrocious and needs to go.  So be careful with adjusting your monthly obligation as both line holder and reserve may get bit by the 10 Q. bug.

Bottom line - pick up the contract and review it again.  I know we are in merged negotiations but the language in our contract, other than some modifications made like one example: SEC 9 D 3. Reserve Use of the ETB c., still applies. Use it to reply to these company notifications and along the way you may learn something you forgot about.  Any time you reply to the company, keep it simple and keep a copy for your records.  Everyone should have their own - work file.

No contract - you have not picked one up / contact In-flight for your copy - or go on line at www.afausairways.org   In the BOS crew room there is a binder that contains a copy of the contract for reference.  Your contract's home should be your work suitcase/bag.