PBS Committee communication for the May bid

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Hello Flight Attendants, 

For the first time since we started using NAVBLUE PBS in 2017, the Joint PBS Committee was unable to meet the Preliminary Bid Award publication deadline of 1200 on the 11th of the month. Awards for one domicile, SEA, were published approximately one minute late in NAVBLUE, and the Preliminary Bid Award email was not released until 1225. Now, one minute late may not seem like much, but it is important for us to share why. 

Per the CBA, the company sets the Anticipated Line Average (ALA).  The ALA is published on the Info page in NAVBLUE each month.  It sets the normal credit windows for the month and drives how many credits PBS assigns to the normal credit window lines.  For a simple point of reference (noting there are often variations) we typically see ALAs around 75:00 and 76:00 in the higher block months and 72:00 to 74:00 in lower block months.  For MAY25 we have the highest ALAs since we began using PBS, with four bases at 78:00 and the other three at 75:00, 76:00, and 77:00.  

Why is the credit so much higher this month?  The ALA the company decides on is always driven by pairing credit hours, pre-assignments (VA, PDO, AD, UU/UB, RG, etc…), and the number of bidding FAs.  But we found out after bidding closed that QX is flying more hours the originally planned for, which is why we have 78:00 ALA for the first time.

Once bidding closed, the members of the committee spend our time in the admin side of NAVBLUE doing what we call “runs.”  There are several settings we can adjust to meet certain targets set by management and/or increase FA satisfaction with their awards.  Examples of settings include increasing/decreasing the amount of open duties per day, increasing/decreasing the amount of reserves per day, limiting the allowable number of minimum or maximum credit window bidders, raising/lowering the threshold, and setting the minimum amount in open time to seed SAP.  We always attempt to make as few changes as possible, and anytime a change is made the whole base is re-run in seniority order.  It is not possible to do this in advance of the bid closing as we do not know how FAs will bid or what the final number of bidding FAs will be that month. 

The committee works to reach mutual agreement on the run used for each domicile. We had reached agreeent on six domiciles by midday on the 10th, but were still trying to find a run that both sides could agree to in SEA. With the ALA set so high, the AFA members of the committee wanted as many Minimum Credit Windows awarded as possible, while the company members were focused on keeping reserve numbers as high as they could get them. We spent much of the day on the 10th reviewing the differences between the runs, attempting to get more Flight Attendants awarded a Minimum Credit Window. At this point we had the MECP involved and the MECP was escalating it to senior management. On the morning of the 11th, the PBS Committee was still discussing options and senior management was reviewing the escalation from the MECP. Both sides were actively working the problem and doing everything we could to reach an agreeable solution while still publishing on time. AFA felt that the potential improvement to Flight Attendant's schedules, if management agreed, warranted how close we were getting to the deadline.

Ultimately senior management did not agree to use our run, and we were not able to get the additional Minimum Credit Windows.  Senior management made this decision, and the final run was launched before noon, but due to the normal publishing process, the SEA final run was not published until 1201.  There was no intent to delay publishing. 

The decision to not allow additional Minimum Credit Windows was indeed disappointing.  While AFA wants all FAs who bid for minimum credit window to get it, we also recognize that from management’s staffing perspective it is not always possible to award all Minimum Credit Windows each month.  But, AFA does not believe that a 23-year Flight Attendant should be denied a Minimum Credit Window.  We told senior management that such a drastic increase in flying for so many FAs will lead to increased fatigue calls and reduce morale even further than it is currently.  Management believes that the one additional reserve they got by restricting 15 additional FAs from getting Minimum Credit Window could make a difference.  

We expect to continue to see high ALAs through at least June and July so please bid accordingly. One thing we have requested moving forward is that all members of the PBS Committee get advance notice of all ALAs each month. You can always see the ALA for your domicile by reviewing the Info page in NAVBLUE each month.  We will continue to advocate on your behalf. 

In Solidarity,

Lexie Massey (AFA Joint PBS Committee Member) and Joshua Guiles-Haimes (AFA Joint PBS Committee Member Alternate)