American flight attendants contract, Section 29 — TRAINING

A. A Flight Attendant shall not be required to pay for training required or conducted by the Company.

B. The Company may conduct training at various crew bases.

C. Daily training periods shall not exceed nine (9) hours, excluding a lunch period. Except during extraordinary circumstances when simulators/mock-ups are not available and that portion of training is required on the aircraft, training shall not be scheduled to begin between 2200 and 0600.

1. The Company will implement an electronic bidding system for the scheduling of training. Such bids will be processed in seniority order and will allow the Flight Attendant to buddy bid including placement in a specific class on a day. Results will be posted prior to the opening of the monthly PBS bid. Training dates awarded will be placed on each Flight Attendant’s line as a pre-planned absence.

a. Electronic training bid packages, including bidding instructions, shall be distributed through an electronic bidding system to all Flight Attendants. The training bid package shall contain a list identifying biddable training events.

b. Flight Attendants shall bid for training prior to the eighth (8th) of the month preceding the training base month. Flight Attendants will be supplied training material two (2) months prior to their base month.

c. When more than one (1) training day is required, a Flight Attendant will be required to bid for training as consecutive days, if applicable.

d. A Flight Attendant shall submit a bid for training or have a standing bid on file indicating their bid preferences for training.

e. In the event special training is mandated by the Company, Federal Aviation Administration or other governmental agency where classroom training is required, training periods shall be made available for bid. Paragraph D shall not apply to such training where insufficient time exists for a Flight Attendant to bid.

f. Preference for training dates shall be considered in accordance with seniority, however priority to fulfill training during the base month shall be the objective of the electronic bidding system during the training award. Training dates awarded or assigned to a Flight Attendant shall be designated as planned absences in PBS.

g. A Flight Attendant who fails to bid or bids insufficiently their training will be assigned in seniority order. However, in such instances equipment qualification or service training will be assigned in inverse seniority order.

h. In the event that training classes are not sufficient to accommodate scheduling those Flight Attendants who require training during their base month, training shall be made in seniority order during the grace month with priority given to fulfilling the requirement for training of those Flight Attendants bidding in their grace month.

2. A Flight Attendant will not be assigned to training on a vacation day but may elect to attend training during their scheduled vacation.

3. A Flight Attendant’s base month may only be changed by the Company. Notification of such change will be provided promptly to the Flight Attendant. The Company will make every effort to resolve base month imbalances through the distribution of the base month assignments to newly hired Flight Attendants. The Company will offer the opportunity to change months in seniority order. If there are insufficient volunteers, the Company shall use inverse seniority.

4. A Flight Attendant on a leave of absence may, upon request, attend training, if approved in advance by the Inflight Department.

5. A day in training, including any day(s) of travel between crew base and training when required by the Company, will not be considered a day off for purposes of the minimum days off provisions of this Agreement. A Flight Attendant, who, because of training, would receive less than the minimum days off will, upon request, receive another minimum day(s) off pursuant to this Agreement.

6. Trips/Training Conflicts

a. Any training dates awarded or assigned shall be placed in a Flight Attendant’s PBS bid as a preplanned activity and their PBS award shall not create a conflict with their awarded or assigned training date(s).

b. If the Flight Attendant is illegal to originate a sequence subsequent to a training event, due to circumstances beyond the Flight Attendant’s control, the provision relating to Illegal Through No Fault, Scheduling, Section 10, shall apply.

c. If actual operations cause a Reserve’s training day to be extended into their Flex Day, Reserve Duty, Section 12.B.4.d, shall apply. If actual operations cause a Reserve’s training day to be extended into their Golden Day, Reserve Duty, Section 12.B.2.d, shall apply.

d. If through no fault of the Flight Attendant, a Flight Attendant is assigned training which conflicts with their assigned sequence the Flight Attendant shall be dropped from the sequence(s) that conflicts with training. The Flight Attendant shall not be obligated to make up the time. Pay protection will not apply.

7. A Flight Attendant assigned a training date pursuant to Paragraph D.1, may switch to any available training opening that does not create a conflict. The request must be submitted at least five (5) business days prior to the Flight Attendant’s scheduled training date.

8. Flight Attendants may trade training dates that fall within the same bid month with each other. All trades must be submitted via an automated process or to Training Registration no later than 0900 HBT on the business day prior to the training date(s). If training falls on a Sunday or Monday, the trade must be processed no later than the business day before the training date. Trades will not be approved if they create a scheduling conflict, are not in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or are not in compliance with applicable FARs.

1. A Flight Attendant shall receive one hundred and fifty dollars ($150.00) pay for each day of Recurrent training. If Distance Learning is substituted for a day of Recurrent training, the Flight Attendant shall be paid one hundred and fifty dollars ($150.00) pay for the Distance Learning. If a Flight Attendant is required to travel to or from training on a day other than the actual training days, the Flight Attendant shall receive one hundred and fifty dollars ($150.00) pay.

2. A Flight Attendant shall receive one hundred and fifty dollars ($150.00) pay for each day of non-Recurrent classroom training. If a Flight Attendant is required to travel to or from training

on a day other than the actual training days, the Flight Attendant shall receive one hundred and fifty dollars ($150.00) pay.

3. A Flight Attendant shall receive the following pay for non-Recurrent Distance Learning as determined by the amount of time a Flight Attendant would reasonably take to complete the training: up to two (2) hours twenty-five dollars ($25.00); two (2) hours and one (1) minute to four (4) hours fifty dollars ($50.00); four (4) hours and one (1) minute to eight (8) hours seventy-five dollars ($75.00).

4. A Flight Attendant who reports to the airport for their scheduled deadhead to training, including a scheduled deadhead from the Flight Attendant’s residence as specified in Paragraph H.1, and the flight fails to operate or is delayed so that the Flight Attendant will not be able to attend training or arrive home within the sixteen (16) hour limitation will receive a minimum of three (3) hours pay and credit, provided an alternate deadhead flight and training class is not available within the sixteen (16) hour limitation, determined by the check-in time for the original flight.

5. Subsequent Recurrent Because of Failure

The provisions of Section 29.E shall not apply when a Flight Attendant is required to attend a subsequent Recurrent program because of their failure to satisfactorily complete the initial Recurrent program.

6. Paragraph E shall not be applicable to base indoctrination.

1. A Flight Attendant awarded or assigned to Recurrent training away from their crew base shall be paid Per Diem in accordance with Expenses, Section 4, for all hours away from the Flight Attendant’s crew base. If the Flight Attendant opts to travel from their residence, the Per Diem shall be provided as if the Flight Attendant traveled from their crew base.

2. A Flight Attendant awarded or assigned to training at their crew base shall be paid Per Diem in accordance with Expenses, Section 4, for all actual hours in training, excluding Distance Learning.

3. When a Flight Attendant travels to another crew base for training they shall be eligible for transportation in accordance with Crew Accommodations, Section 6. A Flight Attendant will be eligible for lodging in accordance with Section 6 when:

a. For each overnight between training classes, when two (2) or more consecutive days of training are scheduled;

b. At the Flight Attendant’s request, when the combination of scheduled travel with deadheading to and from crew base to training and training time exceeds sixteen (16) hours, including check-in and check-out;

c. If an event beyond the control of the Flight Attendant, e.g., flight cancellation, irregular operations, weather, class runs late, extends the combination of travel and training beyond the sixteen (16) hour limitation as specified in Paragraph D, the Company shall provide a single hotel room in accordance with Crew Accommodations, Section 6, for such Flight Attendant.

4. A Flight Attendant based in the city of the Company’s training center who is attending annual recurrent training (including any additional training scheduled the day before or after recurrent

training) or base equipment training who lives more than fifty (50) miles from the training location shall be provided lodging as provided in Paragraph F.3.a.

1. One (1) day of Recurrent training may be scheduled as Distance Learning. The Flight Attendant will complete the Distance Learning prior to the commencement of Recurrent training.

2. The total number of hours required to complete any Distance Learning shall not exceed eight (8) hours.

3. The Company may require the Flight Attendant to complete Distance Learning as a computer based program on an annual basis. The Company will provide all necessary materials or computer programs to Flight Attendants at no cost at least two (2) months prior to Recurrent training. The Flight Attendant shall be able to access such program on their home computer. The Company will provide an electronic copy of a study guide covering the materials that the Flight Attendant will be tested on during Recurrent training.

4. The Flight Attendant shall be paid for Distance Learning and/or any required videos in excess of twenty (20) minutes as specified in Paragraph E.1.

5. In each crew base, the Company will make available at the airport an adequate number of technologically suitable computers located in an area suitable for study and the completion of Computer-Based Training (CBT).

1. The combination of travel while deadheading to and from crew base to training and training time will not exceed sixteen (16) hours without an intervening rest as specified in Paragraph H.2, except at the Flight Attendant’s option. The sixteen (16) hour period will start at the beginning of the training class or, if deadheading to training, at check-in for the deadhead flight to training. The sixteen (16) hour period will end at the conclusion of training or, if deadheading from training, at the check-out from the deadhead flight.

2. Each Flight Attendant will receive rest for training as follows. Rest will start at check-out from the deadhead flight or the end of training. Rest will end at check-in for the deadhead flight or at the start of training.

a. Prior to training in crew base or check-in for the deadhead flight from the Flight Attendant’s crew base to training, the Flight Attendant will receive any minimum crew base rest associated with the trip the Flight Attendant flew immediately prior to training or associated with a Reserve assignment.*

b. If the Flight Attendant is required to deadhead from their crew base to training the day prior to training and is required to overnight, the Flight Attendant shall receive the minimum out of crew base rest prior to training.**

c. Minimum crew base rest after the end of training.**

d. Minimum crew base rest after check-out from the deadhead flight back to the Flight Attendant’s crew base.**

e. If a Flight Attendant is required to deadhead back to their crew base the day after training, the Flight Attendant shall receive the minimum out of crew base rest prior to the deadhead flight.**

*A Flight Attendant may elect to reduce this rest to the FAR minimums.

**A Flight Attendant may waive these rest requirements.

3. When scheduling a sequence after completing training, if ten (10) hours rest is not obtained following training, the hours of training are counted as duty time and added to the duty time of the trip’s first duty period. This continuous duty period from the start of training through the end of the first duty period of the sequence cannot be scheduled to exceed fourteen (14) hours.

1. A Flight Attendant who elects to drop a trip because they are not receiving the required rest as provided in Paragraph H, shall make every effort to contact Crew Scheduling prior to returning to the Flight Attendant’s crew base, but in no case later than upon their arrival at their crew base.

2. A Reserve Flight Attendant will not be required to take a trip on the same day they attend training.

3. A Flight Attendant will not be required to fly and attend training for more than six (6) consecutive days unless the six (6) consecutive day period either contains or is followed by a consecutive twenty-four (24) hours free from all duty. Such twenty-four (24) hours shall be actual hours and shall be calculated from the time of check-out to check-in.

a. At the Flight Attendant’s option, training may be scheduled immediately following any combination of six (6) days of reserve availability, training and flight duty. However, such Flight Attendant shall receive twenty-four (24) hours free from duty after training before flight duty or return to reserve availability.

b. Flight duty may not be scheduled immediately following any combination of six (6) days of reserve availability, training and flight duty.

4. A Flight Attendant is not required to complete International Service Qualification in order to fly NIPD.

1. A Flight Attendant deadheading for the purpose of out-of-crew base training will be provided positive space travel to and from the city where training is being conducted. At the Flight Attendant’s option, this authorization may be from the city in which the Flight Attendant resides provided the city is served by American Airlines to the city where training is being conducted, subject to the provision that at the time such booking is made, a seat is available. Once booked under the process described above, such Flight Attendant cannot be removed in an oversell situation or due to weight restrictions.

2. If the Flight Attendant opts to travel from their residence, the sixteen (16) hour limitation specified in Paragraph H.1, and the rest as provided in Paragraph H.2, shall be calculated as if the Flight Attendant traveled from their crew base.

K. Consistent with Company policy, cigarette smoking will be permitted outside of training rooms, provided designated smoking areas are available and further provided such smoking is not prohibited by applicable federal, state or local laws or Company policy.