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Fast Fact Friday
Jetway Trades
Friday, December 19, 2025
Q1: “What is a jetway trade?”
“Jetway trade” is the phrase used to describe when two Flight Attendants initiate a trade of duty responsibility in the middle of a pairing while in an outstation.
Example: I live in SEA. On my 3-day pairing, my second overnight is at home. I would like to giveaway day three of my trip via the jetway trade process. I open up the Jetway Trade portal in CWA and select the last day of my 3-day pairing and submit the giveaway by clicking the button without the padlock (meaning it will not have a PIN required to pick up the flying). Another FA finds my jetway trade posting and agrees to pick it up by selecting my post and clicking the disc icon. When I land in SEA, I call the other Flight Attendant, and we use the conference calling feature to call Crew Scheduling and officially process the jetway trade. Once they have processed the jetway trade, I am released from duty in SEA. The other Flight Attendant will be required to report to the aircraft the following day at the scheduled report time.
Q2: “Do both Flight Attendants have to be present in the jetway at the same time to process a jetway trade?”
No. Both Flight Attendants must contact Crew Scheduling, preferably on the same call, to process the jetway trade after the last working leg prior to the exchange of duties. This situation will be updated and approved when the Pink Contract self-service jetway trade feature is rolled out in early 2026 (Phase 3 Implementation is scheduled between September 2025 – March 2026).
Q3: “When does my pay stop and the other Flight Attendant’s pay begin if we do a jetway trade?”
You will be paid all of the legs you worked up until the jetway trade, including any RIGs. Your per diem will be calculated through release time after the last working leg (end of debrief which is 30 minutes after the last working leg). The other Flight Attendant will be paid the TFP associated with the working legs they accept in the trade. Their per diem will be calculated from the scheduled report time for their first working flight. (Article 12.6.A.5)
IMPORTANT NOTE: If your pairing has a Trip RIG (ADG or THR) or a Day RIG (DHR or DPM) associated with the day(s) of the jetway trade, you would need to let Crew Scheduling know at the time of processing the jetway trade whether you want to keep the RIG, split the RIG contractually, or give away the RIG to the Flight Attendant accepting the jetway trade. If you do not notify Crew Scheduling of your choice for the RIG on that call, you (the person giving away the legs) will retain the entirety of the RIG and the person accepting the jetway trade will only be paid the leg credits for the working legs.
Q4: “Can I do a jetway trade in the middle of a trip? Or am I only allowed to do it on the last day of a pairing?”
You can do a jetway trade at any point during a pairing as long as the Flight Attendant accepting the trade is legal and willing to work the remaining flight(s) of the pairing.
Q5: “Nobody picked up my jetway trade in CWA. Is there a cutoff time for processing a jetway trade if I find someone on the day I’d like to be released?”
Yes. Flight Attendants on a non-regulatory requirement flight must process the jetway trade after block-in of the flight prior to the jetway trade, but at least fifteen (15) minutes prior to scheduled or actual departure time. If the next working flight is a regulatory requirement flight, the jetway trade must be processed at least fifteen (15) minutes prior to the applicable governmental requirements, such as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requirements. (Article 12.6.A)
Q6: “If I do a jetway trade at a RON, who will get the hotel room?”
The Flight Attendant accepting the jetway trade will be assigned the hotel room. (Article 12.6.A.5.b) However, they can give that hotel room to the Flight Attendant giving away the leg(s), if they wanted to. Communication between the two Flight Attendants would need to happen to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Q7: “I’m on a Reserve assignment. Can I giveaway leg(s) using a jetway trade?”
You can… but there are more restrictions. A Reserve Flight Attendant may do a jetway trade with a deadheading Flight Attendant who is FAR legal and scheduled to ride on the flight(s) of the jetway trade as a paid must ride. This jetway trade would only be approved if the Reserve trying to be released had no other Reserve obligations (i.e., they’re on the last day of their Reserve block). (Article 12.6.C.2)
Q8: “If I accept a jetway trade on my commuter flight into base and we run late… will I be covered by the commuter policy?”
If the flight you listed and presented on, and then accepted a jetway trade to work, met the parameters to be a covered commuter flight, then you would be covered by the language in Article 33 if you ran late (or experienced a cancellation). (Article 12.6.A.4.a)
If the flight you worked for the jetway trade would not meet the commuter policy requirements, you would receive a No Show if you couldn’t make your scheduled check-in. (Article 12.6.A.4.b)
REMEMBER: To be covered by the commuter policy (Article 33), you must list and present for one (1) SWA flight that is scheduled to arrive into domicile at least one (1) hour prior to scheduled check-in of a Lineholder pairing -or- at least thirty (30) minutes prior to liable for contact time on Reserve (day one of a Reserve block ONLY). If using an offline carrier (which isn’t germane to this conversation because you wouldn’t be able to do a jetway trade, but it’s always good to review!), you would need to list and present for at least two (2) consecutive flights that are scheduled to meet the aforementioned times.
Bonus Question: “Is there an update on the automatic/electronic jetway trade self-service functionality?”
The automated jetway trade processing functionality is scheduled to be released in Phase 3 of the Pink Contract implementation. This self-service function is targeted for completion in the first quarter of 2026.