American Airlines flight attendants demand better hotel accommodation, say airline broke rules
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), an organization that represents American Airlines’ more than 26,000 flight attendants, has filed a complaint with the carrier about hotel accommodation provided by the company. The union accused American of “repeated breach of contract” on the matter.
Like us reported in february, American flight attendants have an agreement with the airline that should guarantee them a certain level of quality hotel accommodation when they stay away from their home base on a layover or in times of disruption. The airline said it booked more than 2.5 million hotel rooms last year at a cost of $ 350 million, a job it called “staggering.”
Some have accused American of “instituting a semi-budget freeze” on hotel accommodation, but the carrier vehemently denies the claim. An internal memo sent to staff members earlier this year said hotel spending was actually increasing and a lot of money and effort had been put into improving overnight accommodations.
American’s hotel contracts team told flight attendants that they recognize “that a good layover experience has a significant impact on the quality of your work life and can also indirectly affect the experience of our staff. passengers ”.
But the APFA says they have seen a spike in complaints and that the union’s national president, Nena Martin, has now filed a so-called “presidential grievance” with the company over the situation. The APFA tells American to “cease and desist” immediately from violating a contractual agreement between the two parties.
The union cites a number of alleged violations, including the United States’ use of the old US Airways hotel accommodation rules that were not so generous. They also claim that flight attendants are not placed in clean or quiet hotels and have had to wait too long to be assigned a room.
Other issues include flight attendants being assigned rooms with connecting doors, being placed near noisy elevators, and even placing flight attendants on the ground floor – a “no”. , not “full for most international airlines.
And it appears the hotel contracts team is struggling to stay on top of their work – the union also claims flight attendants are not notified of the hotel change and some only find out when they arrive. to destination.
American has yet to comment publicly.
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