• The Jumpseat and Weight Restrictions
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THE JUMPSEAT CAN NEVER BE DENIED DUE TO WEIGHT RESTRICTION

A US Airways Flight Attendant can never be denied the jumpseat on either East or West metal due to weight restriction…PERIOD.

The following letter has been sent to all Flight Attendants, pilots, agents and station managers to further clarify the ability for Flight Attendants to access the F/A jumpseat- even if the flight is weight restricted:

Captain Ed Bular
Senior Vice President - Flight Operations/InFlight                             
                                                                               
Donna E. Paladini
Vice President - Customer Service

Suzanne Boda
Senior Vice President - Airport Customer Service - East Coast/International    
                                                                               
Feedback Venues:askinflight@usairways.com                                                      
Ask InFlight Feedback Form - theHub/Wings, InFlight Services Page
Ask InFlight Hotline:  1-800-327-0117 +1+5+6+1 
-------------( end of letter )-----------------------

A link to the letter is copied below for you to be able to print and carry with you:
http://www.afausairways.org/jumpseat/js08.pdf

The history of the Flight Attendant jumpseat on a weight restricted flight is recapped below.

The US Airways East Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has provided access to the Flight Attendant jumpseat regardless of whether or not the flight was weight restricted for decades. The PREVIOUS America West Policy did restrict access to the jumpseat when an America West flight was weight restricted.

At the urging of the Association of Flight Attendants, the Company agreed to extend the "no weight restriction policy" that exists on East metal to all West metal mainline flights.

On February 8, 2008, Ed Bular, Senior VP of Flight Operations/Inflight issued a memo detailing the change. An excerpt of the memo is copied below.

I understand how important the ability to jumpseat is to all of our commuting
crewmembers, and the cutover to FOS was not intended to limit that ability. Therefore, the Company will implement a change to the procedures on flights operated by West to remove a revenue passenger prior to removing a mainline crewmember from the jumpseat. This new procedure will take effect on March 1, 2008. I am pleased to make this announcement and hopeful that this procedural change will benefit both our East and West mainline crewmembers when commuting by adding greater predictability.

Captain Ed Bular

Captain Bular's February 8, 2008 memo can be seen in its entirety by clicking on the following link:

http://www.afausairways.org/jumpseat/jschangepolicy_2808.pdf

The Union believed the Company would implement the new no weight restriction policy by informing all departments of the policy and monitoring compliance. Since March 1, 2008 the Union has been besieged with numerous complaints from Flight Attendants that agents were denying Flight Attendant jumpseat requests on both West and East metal because, "The flight is weight restricted."

The Union addressed all of the individual Flight Attendant write-ups with the Company. The Company contended the problems were either the result of new agents or communications failures.

As the jumpseat denials continued, the Union became disillusioned with the Company's ability to live up to the East Flight Attendant CBA and the Company's new policy regarding West metal. East and West agents continued to misinterpret the policy for both East and West metal.

As a result, the Union demanded the Company issue a "once and for all" communication to all Flight Attendants, pilots, agents and station managers clarifying the policy that Flight Attendants are NEVER TO BE DENIED THE F/A JUMPSEAT ON A WEIGHT RESTRICTED FLIGHT.

The East metal F/A jumpseat(s) are awarded at flight close out. Please refer to section 30 - GENERAL- of the East CBA for the award procedure on East metal. West metal procedures for East Flight Attendants are outlined on our website and in the Flight Attendant Policies and Procedures manual on the hub. The link to the West procedure is copied below:

http://www.afausairways.org/jumpseat/amw_jspolicy.pdf

*Note- The Flight Attendant Policy and Procedures Manual still contain misinformation regarding weight restriction on West metal. The manual will be updated today.

Please remember that on East metal, East Flight Attendants have the first priority, and on West metal, West Flight Attendants have the first priority.

Thank you,

Mike Flores, President
The US Airways Master Executive Council
AFA-CWA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AFA US Airways Website

www.afausairways.org

Accessing The Hub:

http://thehub.usairways.com 
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AFA Local Numbers
 
Council 41 DCA 703-212-8090
Council 69 BOS 781-289-8454
Council 70 PHL 215-492-0840
Council 82 LGA 315-736-3483
Council 89 CLT 704-527-0325

New Hotline Number Toll Free: 866-USA-AFA2
US AIRWAYS Benefits Information 800-872-4780

Reply to Inflight: askinflight@usairways.com

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