KeyAnder for TWU Local 556 Recording Secretary

The More You Know💙

✈️ On The Fly Facts: Boarding Early When Able

We are seeing questions about the recent IIOTG suggestion to “board early when able.” Here are the facts grounded in our Pink Contract and Contract Q&A’s.

📍 What the Contract Says: Article 8.2.A.1.c

A Flight Attendant is required to be at the aircraft 30 minutes prior to departure, and no more than 45 minutes prior to departure for working (not deadheading) Flight Attendants on Regulatory Requirements (RR) flights, 737 MAX 7 (150 seats), or scheduled -800 aircraft.

🚨Safety First! Report Time ≠ Boarding Time
Boarding does not begin at any specific time or at your report time. As Safety Professionals, boarding can ONLY begin once all of our pre-flight duties are completed and in coordination with your fellow Flight Attendants, as well as the final “A” Flight Attendant confirming that all are ready to board.

🚦 Early Boarding: When Is It Contractual?

The Contract allows required early boarding only under “critical circumstances” — narrowly defined events that could affect the aircraft’s ability to depart as scheduled. Routine operational challenges, such as numerous wheelchair requests or full flights, are not considered critical circumstances.

🛠️ “Right to Manage” vs. Contractual Compliance

The Company retains the right to manage the operation. Their request to “board early when able” is phrased as an ask. You may kindly and professionally affirm your contractual protections to complete all of your required pre-flight duties, including the need to perform safety and security checks prior to boarding commencing.

⚖️ Safety and Well-Being

Report times are structured and clearly defined; they are not arbitrary. As long as minimum crew requirements are met and you return by your assigned report time, you are permitted to leave the aircraft between flights to attend to personal needs.

🤝 If You Experience Pressure to Board Early

If early boarding is requested outside of “critical circumstances” as defined above, and one or more Crew Members have not conveyed they are ready to board to the “A” Flight Attendant, here are the steps to take:

• Communicate with the Ops Agents to establish when boarding can safely begin.
• Politely reference your contractual protections, including report time and the necessary time to complete pre-flight duties, if needed.
• Document the details for future reporting.
• Submit an ASAP if safety duties were impacted.
• Reach out to your Union for support.

❓ When questions arise, focus on the language, follow our Contract, and use the established channels to address concerns.

📨 Keep an eye on your email inbox and/or the News section of our TWU556 Connect App on Monday, March 2, for additional information and all applicable negotiated language.

Apple just rolled out a new way to move through airport security a little faster. iPhone users can now store their U.S. passport details as a Digital ID in Apple Wallet, allowing identity verification at more than 250 TSA checkpoints across the country.

It will not replace a physical passport and it only works for domestic travel, but the feature uses encrypted data and biometric authentication to keep your information secure.

If you want to see how it works and what TSA says about the rollout read the full story ⬇️

https://lamag.com/travel/apple-introduces-digital-id-for-u-s-passports-in-apple-wallet/

Source: Los Angeles Magazine