Contract 101
Article 29 – Vacancy
Vacancy Bidding occurs each month, depending upon the number of new slots available and the Company’s need for a number of Flight Attendants in each base. “Vacancy bids for the purposes of movement between domiciles will be made available monthly. The Company will determine when a vacancy exists at a domicile due to adding additional aircraft to the schedule, new Flight Attendant classes and attrition.” (Article 29.3.A)
Unlike Primary and Secondary Bidding, there are no specific dates outlined in the Contract for Vacancy Bidding. The only timeframe with regards to Vacancy Bidding is that available slots will be posted for a period of fourteen (14) days prior to the bid closing.
Keep an eye on your Company email (wnco) for the Vacancy Memo, bid/award dates, and the protest timeframe.
“When does the Vacancy Bid close?”
The Vacancy Bid closes on the date indicated on the Vacancy Memo. The results are posted within forty-eight (48) hours of closing and the protest period ends seventy-two (72) hours after results are posted.
Vacancy Bid Closes: February 26, 2025 @ Noon CT
Results Posted: No later than February 28, 2025 @ Noon CT
Protest Period Ends: March 1, 2025 @ Noon CT
“How do I read the Vacancy Memo from Crew Planning?”
Change your Vacancy Bid at: CWA > Bid Input > Vacancy Bid
“How does Crew Planning award the open slots?”
Vacancies are filled in Seniority order based on the choices on file when the Vacancy is closed.
“Why is it that some bases have 0 openings, yet Flight Attendants get awarded that base?”
A zero (0) next to a domicile indicates that there are no needed staffing changes to that specific base’s previous months Flight Attendant numbers. This does not mean that a Flight Attendant won’t be awarded that base. If a Flight Attendant from that base is awarded a new domicile, transferred to another department, or left SWA, Crew Planning will backfill that slot with another Flight Attendant based on Vacancy Bids and seniority. By filling an unanticipated slot, the staffing changes remain unchanged between bid months.
In the event there are not enough people to satisfy the vacancy numbers, awards to fill those slots are made in a reverse seniority order. In other words, the most junior Flight Attendants will be placed in the slots that need to be filled.
Example: In the Vacancy e-mail used on the previous page, BWI is slated to get 93 Flight Attendants. The 93 most senior Flight Attendants who have BWI as their first choice and/or have BWI as their first choice with their contingency percentage satisfied, will be awarded BWI. If these 93 slots all come from DEN, and DEN was neither adding nor removing Flight Attendants, then those 93 slots in DEN will be filled by the 93 most senior Flight Attendants who have DEN as their first choice and/or have DEN as their first choice with their contingency satisfied… and so on and so forth until all vacancies are filled.
“What is the Contingency percentage? I see it on the Vacancy Bidding screen.”
Contingency Bidding is when you put percentage (%) restrictions on voluntarily changing your base to a new domicile.
Example: You want to be based in DEN, but only if your bidding seniority will be in the Top 35%. On the Vacancy Bid screen, you would want your first choice as DEN with 35 in the Contingency % column. This means you will only be awarded DEN if you are in the Top 35%.
KEEP IN MIND: Your Vacancy Bid must contain every domicile (and Satellite Base) containing 100 in the Contingency % column. There are no restrictions to the number of contingency % associated with your Vacancy Bid, but the 100% should be last for that base.