Bargaining a Comprehensive Commuter Policy

One major item AFA Flight Attendants at other airlines have negotiated is a comprehensive commuter policy that benefits everyone. Below are some highlights Flight Attendants have achieved at other airlines and cannot be changed unless Flight Attendants agree to them. What comprehensive commuter procedure would you like to see in your first Delta contract?

"The entire reason I chose to be based in Atlanta was because of the ease commuting from Houston. I had around 17 flights a day to commute to work. I would budget for 3 hotel nights per month and would only stay there if I wanted to. However, now i've had to triple my hotel budget and still sometimes have to stay in the airport for 12 hours before I have to report. It has drastically changed my quality of life. This is why we need a comprehensive commuter policy that benefits everyone.” - Kara Dupuis, ATL

Below are only a few of the highlights  Flight Attendants have negotiated at their airlines for commuter procedures:

Alaska Airlines Commuter Procedure

• The provision set forth in this Agreement regarding ground commuting apply to all Flight Attendants (whether or not they are “registered air commuter”), Including Flight Attendants who have picked up out of domicile/co-terminal
• Ground commuting will encompass traveling to work by car (e.g. personal vehicle, liveried transport, shared ride service excluding car pool options, etc.) public transportation (e.g. ferry, light rail/train, bus, etc.) or other ground transportation method (e.g. bicycle, etc.)
• A Flight attendant may decline Company-Provided parking and instead receive a flat rate allowance of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) per month regardless of domicile or whether s/he is a registered commuter or not. The allowance will be included in her/his paycheck and will be paid as taxable income. Section 28 of Alaska contract

United Airlines Commuter Procedure

• Flight Attendants who commute by automobile, bus, train, or public surface transportation will be afforded the same privileges contained in this Section for unforeseen events related to severe unforecasted weather conditions or natural disasters which render roads hazardous or impassable, or enroute mechanical problems, provided that they call their Inflight Duty Office as soon as the unforeseen event becomes known and it appears she/he will not make it to the airport to arrive at her/his Domicile in time for her/his scheduled report (e .g ., road accident, mechanical breakdown, severe weather.
• A Flight Attendant who is unable to meet her/his scheduled report time as a direct result of any of the circumstances listed in Paragraph B., and who has complied fully with all of the terms of this Section shall be considered to have an authorized absence without pay, and shall not be subject to discipline (assessed points) as result of her/his inability to report, unless such inability occurs repeatedly. The parties have intentionally not specified a precise number of instances that will be afforded the protections of this Section. Each invocation of this Section will be considered an independent event and judged on its own unique circumstances, however repeated invocations of this Section may be considered), Section 28 of United Airlines contract

“I usually drive 2 hours to work, but winter weather is particularly hard. It could be a blizzard at home and completely fine at base making my commute sometimes too dangerous to drive or 4 or 5 hours longer. We need a comprehensive commuter policy that benefits everyone.” - Whitney Walker, DTW  

Envoy Commuter Procedure

• A Flight Attendant who is a commuter may request a hotel in domicile to allow her/him to commute the night before or the last night of a pairing or block of reserve days. Such consideration will be granted to a Flight Attendant who is a commuter four (4) times in a contractual month. For the purpose of this settlement, a commuter is a Flight Attendant whose address on file is greater than fifty (50) miles from her/his domicile airport. Hotels must conform to section 34 of this agreement, Section 34 of Envoy contract

American Airlines Commuter Procedure

At American Airlines if a Flight Attendant is unable to commute and unable to make their sequence. The following will apply:

a. Split the Flight Attendant back on her/his original sequence.
b. Assign the Flight Attendant to any comparable sequence, i.e., same duty days;
c. Release the Flight Attendant from her/his duty and drop her/his original sequence. The Flight Attendant will be responsible to make up the time lost, if possible.

“Jumpseats are an important option for my commute to work. Being based in Hawaii makes the Jumpseat the only guarantee I can use to commute to work. Too many times, I've been denied the jumpseat to commute to work because the policy is not clearly communicated throughout the airline. This is why we need a comprehensive commuter policy that benefits all Flight Attendants."- Laura Drewe, HNL

During these uncertain times it is more important than ever that Flight Attendants have a voice in their workplace. As airlines start planning for the future, it is crucial that Delta Flight Attendants have a seat at the table to be part of the planning process and locking agreements into a contract.