A Message From The JIT - August 17th, 2026 Update

This communication is part of our ongoing commitment to provide information on issues related to implementation. Please read through the following updates.

Training
Effective for the September bid month, we will be implementing the terms of Section 11.D.6., 11.D.7. and 11.E.2. 

Please note the change to the timing for picking up CQ outlined below.

11.D.6.
Flight Attendants may choose to attend CQ training in their “early” or “due” or “grace” month as provided herein. With the exception of the “early” month, Flight Attendants who fail to pick up training dates by the last day of the prior bid month shall be assigned training dates, but with no fewer than three (3) days’ notice before the start of the pairing. A Flight Attendant may waive the three (3) day requirement.

At the start of Open Time trading on the 23rd of August, lineholders with an “early”, “due” or “grace” month for CQ in September will have the ability to pick up training pairings from open time.

With the implementation of the language of 11.D.6. lineholders with a “due” or “grace” month in September will now have until the last day of the August bid month, August 27 to pick up CQ or they will be subject to being assigned to a CQ training pairing. Starting on August 28, the first day of the September bid month, FAST will begin assigning training pairings, with not less than 3 days’ notice before the start of the pairing.

11.D.7.
Beginning with the 1st day of the bid month, Lineholder Flight Attendants may pick up training/general meeting dates at locations other than the designated training/general meeting location for their Base.

With the change in the timing to pick up CQ training outlined in 11.D.6., above, the timing also changes for Flight Attendants wishing to pick up training at a location other than their designated training location.

Starting on August 28, the first day of the September bid month, Lineholder Flight Attendants will be able to pick up out of base training pairings for CQ training for the September bid. Please remember that you may not pick up an out of base training pairing that requires travel. For example, a Newark-based flight attendant may not pick up a Cleveland training pairing which requires travel to Chicago for training, but they may pick up a Chicago training pairing.

11.E.2.
Reserves may only trade to attend training/general meeting(s) on either the first or last day(s) of availability in a Reserve block, with approval from Scheduling.

Also effective with the September bid month, with Scheduling approval, Reserves may trade to attend training on either the first or last day of availability. Reserves will need to contact FAST to make the trade. As a reminder, even though a Reserve is scheduled for training, the training may be removed, and they may be removed from training and made available for assignment, based on the needs of the operation.

Boarding Pay
We have good news on reboarding and cancellations that occurred in the June and July bid months. Crew Pay has finished verifying the data and is preparing to make the payouts. We do not yet have a check date, but the payment will be made on a separate check from the regular 1st and 16th payroll checks. When we have the specific date, we will update you with that information and how to verify the flights for which you are receiving pay.

Electronic Version of the 2026 - 2031 Agreement
We have received a number of inquiries about when the final version of the 2026 -2031 Agreement will be available. As you might expect, ensuring an accurate document is our first priority, and a document of the Agreement's size and complexity takes time. We are happy to say that we are nearing the end of that process. We expect to have the final proof of the formatted document by the end of this week; then we will need to update the index, and it will be ready for posting and electronic distribution. Once the electronic version has been formatted, it will be sent for printing, and 15% will be distributed at each local base. More information to follow.

Section 28 Commuter Program
With the August bid period, we anticipate implementing improvements to the Commuter Program; for now, you cannot use an offline carrier as your primary flight or a revenue flight. We expect to implement these items in the coming weeks.

Please remember: Until we announce that a provision has been implemented, it is not in effect.