August 15, 2025 Union Zoom Meeting Minutes
Dear Crew,
Here's a summary of the zoom meeting with additional questions and answers that were posed.
Meeting started at 12:39pm EST
Indigo update: The use of Pursers for Indigo flights has been extended for one month. This is to assist with the FAM flights of indigo crew. No CCMs are being extended for Indigo flights.
Rostering: The line bidding process is getting better. The lines are being built by someone in Riga. They are then passed off to someone else. There is still a disconnect. The goal is to build better lines with more flexibility.
Call in Honest Policy: So far it is working fine. As long as it is not abused, the union will work to have it be made permanent.
UK AOC transition: From January 13 to April 13, there will not be any NO AOC flights to the US. There is a clause in our contract about 50% of US crew being employed on flights operated to the US. Simply put, for every plane flying to the US, there needs to be 30+ US-based crew members on active duty. There are plans for 1-2 planes flying to the US this winter. This will be about 65 US-based crew. The company still has not provided a final decision on this. Crew members with UK attestation will have to do the 5 day training, but crew without UK attestation will have to do the initial PLUS 5 day training.
Leave of absence: A few months ago, the union surveyed crew members that might be interested in a leave of absence during the winter month. The union has negotiated a Voluntary Leave In Lieu of Furlough (VLLF) with the company. It will be the company’s decision whether to use this option. You will be provided with start and end dates for leaves. If offered, the company will not contest unemployment claims. For crew with company provided insurance, you will pay your portion and the company will continue to cover their portion. This leave would be offered to all US-based cabin crew in seniority order before involuntary furloughs.
Q&A:
Q: Why do some people have 99 hours and others don’t?
A: This is largely dependent on when crew members are scheduled with RSV shifts and their willingness/availability to pick up last minute trips.
Q: Any insight on the pairings and rosters for UK AOC?
A: Nothing has been shared. The union is advocating for a variety of trips, not just turns.
Q: How many permanent crew in other bases
A: OSL - 60 crew, CDG - 75 crew, LGW - 200 crew, ATH - 90 crew. There is very high turnover in ATH base.
Q: Is there any insight about a crew base in MCO for UK AOC?
A: No, this is a rumor that started because MIA agents are moving to MCO to support the operation there
Q: If crew take voluntary leave, is it a gap in employment for taxes purposes?
A: First, the company has not decided if they will offer the leave. The unemployment rules are different from state to state. It’s best to address this with a tax professional
Q: What will happen to vacation days?
A: It was included in the LOA that it will be the crew members decision whether to get paid out for unused vacation days or move vacation to later dates
Q: When the crew first went to the UK AOC, there was only a 5 day training, why is it now 15 days?
A: Only the crew members that do not have UK attestation will have to go through the full initial training + the 5 day conversion training. Crew members who previously held the UK attestation will only need to complete the 5 day training.
Q: Where is Call in Honest form? It doesn’t seem to be handled consistently by the company.
A: The Call in Honest detail for commuters can be found in the CBA. There are essentially three questions asked from the company. 1. What airline did you check-in with? 2. Can you show proof of a boarding pass? 3. Did you try to get on two flights? Note: the ticket/boarding pass must show the commuting airport at/within the crew member’s home address. There will need to be some parameters added to the policy. The goal is to not abuse this option so that it can be made permanent.
Q: What will happen to the excess of SCCMs with the UK AOC?
A: There is a possibility to demote SCCMS to CCM if there is an excess of SCCMs after the bidding and assignments for UK AOC. SCCMS that are not awarded purser positions through the purser seniority list for UK AOC will remain on the US-based seniority list for consideration.
Q: Why is the US seniority list not in sequential order?
A: This is a result of the company not updating all seniority lists in a timely manner.
Q: Can we fill the treasurer position on the MEC?
A: President cannot appoint someone to the position - It is an elected position - Ted will advocate at the board meeting in October for a special election
Q: Will you be able to go to the UK AOC and later decide to take the VLLF?
A: Yes. It is recommended that everyone bid for UK AOC and get the updated attestation as it is offered. The VLLF option, if offered, will still be in seniority order including those on both AOC.
Q: Why is the company not able to provide any insight on the next 6 months when so many factors have been decided?
A: It is fear. They are still trying to manage the situation with the overstaffing in the best way possible. We are being told that there are other issues to address that have not been shared.
Q: Will the company provide hotels for crew on the UK AOC working LGW turns?
A: No. All crew (including commuters) are JFK based. The union is advocating for more W pattern trips with the UK AOC. A hotel will only be offered if you are working back-to-back turns with less than two local nights in base.
Q: Since all trips are the same, could we switch to a system where we just bid for days off?
A: This is essentially what we are doing right now - bidding for days off since the trips are the same.
Q: Why doesn’t crew planning respect the CBA in regards to seniority for pursers?
A: Not sure why this is still happening. There is a full crew seniority list and a purser seniority list. The trips are supposed to be awarded in seniority order. If a purser was not awarded purser position on a line that went to someone junior, this should be addressed during the dispute period.
Q: Is there a possibility of the company keeping crew on UK AOC and using other bases on NO AOC next summer?
A: Once we start flying on UK AOC there is no guarantee everyone will be moving back to NO AOC in the summer. We are only guaranteed 50% of coverage but belonging to one or another AOC is not guaranteed . It is ultimately up to the management.
Q: If we do the UK AOC training in October, will we only work those flights moving forward
A: Yes. The company has stated that this is a short assignment for about 6 months.
Q: When will we be informed about the results of the UK AOC bidding?
A: Bidding closes on the 23rd. September rosters could be adjusted to accommodate training to start working UK flights in October.
Q: During the furlough, will we still have flight benefits?
A: With the VLLF, you will have Norse benefits because it is considered active employment. During an involuntary furlough without a return date, you would be in an inactive status which would not allow you access to flight benefits. This needs to be looked into some more.
Q: Is JFK the only base being reduced by permanent crew members?
A: No, all bases will be reduced by permanent crew members.
Q: Can we push to have more jumpseat agreements - we only have Jetblue and Spirit?
A: Jumpseat agreements are reciprocal with each airline having something (routes) to offer the other. At this point, we are losing our bargaining power with the loss of six aircrafts.
Q: If nothing changes, will furloughs begin in January?
A: This is not finalized until we receive dates and numbers from the company. It will also change depending on the number of crew assigned to the UK AOC and how many crew take the VLLF, if offered.
Q: Are ground instructors included in the ~65 crew needed for UK AOC?
A: This is a good question. Instructors will be used in India through the rest of the year. The union will push for ground instructors to NOT be included in that number allowing for more cabin crew to be utilized.
Q: If someone is a purser with middle to low senior seniority - how should we bid?
A: You should just bid with the mindset of a crew member. No one will be skipped. Once the pursers positions are filled, they will have to begin at the top of the seniority list of all crew members.
Q: Why can’t we email to swap trips as crew members with the temporary bidding?
A: There is a misunderstanding. The only emails that should be sent to replanning are for full month swaps. Singular trip trades should happen through the crewconnex app. It is being shared that the app does not always work as it should and that some legal swaps are being denied. This will be investigated further.
Q: How will recurrent work?
A: Recurrent for NO AOC will begin in November. For those with late recurrent and UK AOC training, there is a possibility for double training to occur. For those with recurrent in January through March, it is unknown at this time and will need to be investigated further.
Meeting ended at 2:09pm
In Solidarity,
Kat & Ted
