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Voluntary Furloughs Returning
There are currently 1,475 flight attendants scheduled to return from voluntary furloughs on June 1, 2003. As of February 25, 2003, only 427 have put in request to extend their leaves. As a result, the Company will be posting another round of voluntary furloughs (VF5) shortly. The provisions for VF5 will be the same as those offered in the last round of voluntary furloughs (VF4).
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ITD APRIL Supplemental Bid
Due to the Voluntary Furlough awards
(VF3 and VF4) there is a need for additional flight attendants in
CLW, PHW, and PIW. The APR 2003 Supplemental Bid opens today
and will close at noon (EST) on Tuesday, March 11, 2003. This bid
period begins April 1, 2003 and ends December 31, 2003. If you are
interested in bidding for a position in the ITD Program. more
information can be found HERE
(http://www.afausairways.org/itd/2003_ITD.htm)
or in your crew base. The awards will be posted by COB on Thursday,
March 13, 2003. A CBS message to all flight attendants to be posted
today.
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AFA Air Safety, Health and Security Department
AFA is the only trade union that fights exclusively to improve conditions that affect the safety, health and security of flight attendants, other members of the flight crews and the traveling public.
-- Report a safety, health or security hazard or incident that you faced in or around the flight environment to the Aviation Safety & Health Database - International (ASHDI). Download, print, and carry two ASHDI reporting forms with you at all times - one for Aircraft Air Quality & Pesticide incidents (pdf / Word), and one for All Other incidents (pdf / Word). Use these forms to record any safety, health or security incidents as soon as they happen, then either submit completed forms to your local Safety Committee, or enter reports into the convenient ASHDI online menus. If you use ASHDI, the AFA Safety Committee will receive an automatic email notification and will contact you for further details if necessary.
-- Whistleblower protections for airline employees so they can report safety hazards without risking their jobs or being subject to harassment.
And much more. If you would like to read more about ASHDI, please visit
http://www.afanet.org/safetyandhealth.asp.
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From the "Did you know department..."
Did you know that you can pay your AFA dues online? Yes, you can. Visit
https://secure.unasecure.net/afanet/dues_payment.cfm, where your dues payment is submitted via encrypted transaction (SSL) for your protection.
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U.S. Airlines Want "Tax Holiday," Security Aid During Iraq War
By John Hughes
Washington, Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. airlines are seeking a ``tax holiday,'' security aid and an oil reserve release to avert bankruptcies if the U.S. leads a military action against Iraq, the head of the carriers' trade group said.
The chief executive officers of the airlines plan to make their case to lawmakers in face-to-face meetings this week, said James May, president of the Air Transport Association, which represents AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, UAL Corp.'s United Airlines and other major carriers.
``We've got to see some kind of short-term relief,'' May said in an interview. ``We anticipate it's got to come shortly after the war begins. If it comes with a significant delay it may not be of any help.''
The 10 largest U.S. carriers lost a record $11.3 billion in 2002 from a sputtering economy and lower demand as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks. Two carriers, United and US Airways Group Inc., are operating in bankruptcy. Airlines face a further crunch from a war that may drop international revenue 10 to 12 percent and boost fuel prices by 25 to 30 cents a gallon, May said.
The CEOs want to temporarily reduce taxes, including the 4.3- cent fuel tax, until after a war ends, May said. They want the U.S. to pay some of the roughly $4 billion cost airlines face for security each year, including the cost of replacing cockpit doors and a security tax of up to $10 per round trip added after the attacks, he said.
$50 a Barrel
The airlines are seeking a Strategic Petroleum Reserve release of a million barrels of oil a day for 30 days to keep prices from reaching $50 a barrel, May said. Airlines are not prepared to discuss other specifics, he said.
Some senators, including Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Trent Lott of Mississippi, said at a hearing last month that airlines may not get the help they seek.
Some in Congress believe airlines were helped enough with $5 billion in cash and up to $10 billion in loan guarantees approved after the attacks, May said. Others are skeptical as to whether the situation airlines face is severe enough, he said. ``We still have a tough job in front of us,'' he said.
Representative James Oberstar, the top ranking Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the House may craft a bill and vote on it by the end of March that would pay some airline security costs such as cockpit doors and set aside $3 billion in loan guarantee funds to help airlines pay for fuel.
Airlines may not get the security tax relief they seek because passengers don't mind paying the fees, Oberstar said in an interview. ``I'm not quickly persuaded that taxes are their problem,'' he said.
Lawmakers will be willing to help when they realize a war might collapse the industry, said Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, which represents companies whose employees fly frequently. ``The willingness is going to be sufficient to get the job done,'' he said in an interview.
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Important Dates
-- March Over Projection Drops close 3/1
-- May Monthly Rebid closes 3/10 at 1800
-- April Fillers close 3/10 at 1800
-- April SAP closes 3/1 & 3/2
-- VF Extension Forms due 3/3
Filler Days in Feb & March still available on a first-come, first served basis
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Monthly Line & Pairing Sheets Available Online
(Information pertaining to logging on to "theHub" can be found HERE http://www.afausairways.org/Hub/afa_hub.html.) If you are having problems logging in to "theHub" or need to have your password reset, Please dial 800 327-0117, Prompts 1 - 7 - 2 - 5, this will give you the Catcrew Help Desk.
Flight Attendant Line and Pairing Sheets require the installation of Acrobat Reader on your computer. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded from HERE.
(http://www.adobe.com)
Look for the heading for your domicile, then choose a link for the corresponding Line & Pairing sheets. The Cover sheets include Weekly Schedule information normally included with the Pairings.
PLEASE NOTE: These documents contain the line or pairing information only and not any additional content. They are formatted to be viewed on screen and may print larger than pre-printed trip sheets. If you would like to save them to your computer, "right click" on the desired package and choose "Save Target As". This will save the downloaded file to be opened later, to a folder you choose. Navigate to the folder to locate this file when done. Most of "theHub's" online publications are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), which requires that Adobe Acrobat Reader be installed on your machine.
For tips on viewing publications online with Acrobat Reader, you can visit the Online help available once you have logged in to "theHub".
US Airways and "theHub" appreciate your comments, suggestions, and corrections! When you login to "theHub", please click on the "Ask Inflight" link.
Information from the Hub at USAirways http://thehub.usairways.com/index.htm
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