Monthly Guarantee
What is our monthly guarantee?
- 75 hours paid in 2 installments
- 35 hours for the first half of the current month paid on the 20th
- Example: If the current month is September, 35 hours will be paid on September 20th. As long as available to the company September 1st through 15th.
- 40 hours for the second half of the current month paid on the following 5th
- Example: If the current month is September, 40 hours will be paid on October 5th. As long as available to the company September 16th through 30th.
- 35 hours for the first half of the current month paid on the 20th
Could I earn less than the monthly guarantee
- Yes, your hours could be prorated by the “Value of the Day (VOD)” if not available to the company or under certain unpaid circumstances.
- How is the “Value of the Day (VOD)” calculated?
- For Reserves it is 3.75 hours
- For Line holders it is taking 75 and dividing it by the number of working days at bid award.
- Example: In a 30 day month. A line with 14 days off would have 16 working days, the VOD would be 4.69 hour. A line with 11 days off would have 19 working days, the VOD would be 3.95 hours
- Most cases the VOD deduction will apply to the appropriate pay period, with some exceptions that it could get caught up in overages.
What are some unpaid circumstances which would cause prorated guarantee? (not a complete list)
- Being on an unpaid leave of absence for part of the month.
- Unpaid Sick
- Unpaid Personal Days or PUD
- Unpaid FMLA
When and how Are We Paid?
It can take a total of 3 pay cycles to pay out for a month. We have 2 pay cycles in a month the 5th and 20th, they can be a business day before or after if falling on a holiday or weekend.
The 5th Check
- Will be for 40 hours. Could be prorated by the VOD if any unpaid days the last half of the previous month.
The 20th Check
- Will be for 35 hours. Could be prorated by the VOD if any unpaid days the first half of the current month.
- Will also contain any overages and per diem for the prior month.
- Example: September 20th overages and per diem are for the month of August.
- Will also deduct any negative trip trades.
- Negative Trip Trades is when you trade below guarantee and because you were paid for guarantee, now you have to pay the company back the difference.
- Example: If I trade down to 60 hours in September and have no unpaid/unavailable days. On my October 20th check I will owe the company 15 hours. Because I was available to the company for the entire month, I will still be paid guarantee upfront and then will owe the difference.
- Negative Trip Trades is when you trade below guarantee and because you were paid for guarantee, now you have to pay the company back the difference.
What are Overages?
Overages is everything that pays above guarantee.
- Having a line value above guarantee will pay the hours above 75 at overages.
- Pay for Early Reports and Extensions – 3.I
Flight Attendants, excluding Flight Attendants on reserve duty, who are required to report early on the first day of a trip or are extended on the last day of a trip will be paid one-and-one half (1.5) times their hourly rate for all flights involved in the early report or extension.
- CFA Overrides and Administrative Pay – 3.J
In addition to all other forms of compensation, a Flight Attendant conducting in-flight training as a designated Initial Operating Experience (I.O.E.) instructor, Part-Time instructor, or conducting line checks will be credited with a 25% override. Time spent on assigned administrative duties will be paid an override of $10.00 per hour.
- Junior Assignment Pay – 3.K
A Flight Attendant who is junior assigned, will be paid one and one-half (1.5) her/his hourly rate for hours flown in addition to her/his minimum monthly guarantee.
- Day Off Pay – 3.L
A Flight Attendant who is awarded open time and who flies or deadheads as part of the open time awarded on a scheduled day off will be paid for such time in addition to her/his minimum monthly guarantee. This provision does not apply to flying or deadheading in conjunction with a trip trade
- Home Study Pay – 3.N
A Flight Attendant assigned to home study, or other training as designated by the Company, will be paid, on a pro-rated by minute basis, one (1) hour of flight pay for each two (2) hours of training. The Company shall determine the time required to complete the assigned training
- Holiday/Critical Coverage Pay – 3.O
A Flight Attendant who reports for and completes an assignment will be paid one hundred and fifty percent (150%) of her/his hourly rate per block hour or any portion thereof for all hours credited on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, Memorial Day and July 4th and any Critical Coverage day designated by the Company.
- Random Dug and Alcohol Testing – 3.P
A Flight Attendant notified of a random drug or alcohol test scheduled at the end of a trip will be paid an additional $10.00 for such test.
- Premium Trips – 8.I.4
When necessary to protect the integrity of flight schedules, the Company may elect to declare a trip(s) or a portion thereof as a premium pay trip. Such trip(s) will be paid the same as a junior assignment (3.K) provided the Flight Attendant reports for the trip.
What is Our Per Diem?
Per Diem is paid from report to release at a rate of $2.00 per hour.
There is two types of Per Diem:
- Non-taxable per diem is generated when you go into an overnight.
- Taxable per diem is when you start and stop your day in your base, such as doing an out & back or when you sit Hot Reserve (HRV) at the airport
There is International Per Diem when overnighting outside of the United States (ex: Canada, Bahamas, etc).
On Company duty requiring lodging outside the Continental United States, the Flight Attendant will receive $5.00 per calendar day in addition to per diem.
Example: If I am overnighting in YYZ. I will receive $5.00 for the day I arrive and $5.00 for the day I depart. This single overnight will give me $10.00 in International Per Diem.
Example: If I am overnighting 2 nights in a row in YYZ or have a full calendar day before flying out. I will receive $5.00 for the day I arrive, $5.00 for the next day and $5.00 for the day I depart. For a total of $15.00.
Where Can I Check My Pay?
The easiest and quickest way to check your pay is on the Crew Pay Site.
- Log into the mypsa.aa.com portal
- Under Departments, choose Crew Pay
- Then choose “FA/Pilot Time Summary”
From that page you can see your breakdown for the entire month and how things are calculated. It is updated daily. If you have any questions use the question box located at the top of the page, and someone will get back to you within 5 business days.