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Greetings, May 6, 2009 Dear Flight Attendants, Recall letters went in the mail yesterday to all the involuntarily furloughed Flight Attendants. They will be recalled to positions in SEA and ANC. They are being told in the letter the recall is effective July 1 but to expect to be furloughed again September 1. While that application is not completely foreign to many of us, it has been a very, very long time since we have experienced it. There are improvements under our current contract and if these Flight Attendants are furloughed again in the fall they will receive another three months of insurance as well as severance pay. We do hope most if not all of the furloughees are excited about the opportunity to return, even if only for the summer. Look for notes from your Reserve Committee folks on ways we might assist them for the summer season, such as turning that guest room into a commuter pad for a couple of months? The exciting announcement made today with two new destinations, Houston and Atlanta, as well as new Oakland to Maui and Kona service does reflect the strategy you may recall seeing in late 2001 and early 2002 when we used the aircraft freed up by the reductions in flying after 9/11 to open new markets. There was a period last week when the concerns over the impact of the H1N1 virus on our Mexico flying that put even the furlough recall at risk. Luckily the alarm over the pandemic has greatly subsided for us insofar as concerns for our safety and the safety of our passengers. That said our summer bookings, as a result of several factors, are down. While it is still unclear what the longer run will look like for tourism in Mexico Alaska has not jumped on the flight cutback bandwagon with the verve many other carriers have. Although we are reducing some frequency and downsizing aircraft for the summer schedule we have not eliminated any markets and are sure to have a seat for any traveler that needs one. There have been no changes made in the fall schedule.
Kelle
Wells
MEC President |
