Cargolux Hotel Committee

With COVID still being an issue, please understand that many restrictions are mandated at many of the destinations we operate into. These will be outside the control of the hotels and their managements. The best way we can address hotel related issues are through Voyage Reports or if necessary, through ASR’s.

We would like to give you an update on the following destinations:

ORD
The hotel decided to discontinue the buffet breakfast until further notice due to their reduced occupancy. Therefore, during check in procedure we should receive a breakfast-voucher which entitles the crew members for 36$ USD (incl. svc charge + tax) from the a’la carte menu. The hotel committee was not yet able to review the current situation. 

Therefore, please send us your feedback regarding quality of the breakfast and whether the amount is sufficient. Sufficient would include a hot meal, a regular hot and cold beverage and fruits as well as all taxes, fees and gratuities. If you feel that this necessitates a Voyage Report, please submit one and send us the report with any pictures you may have taken.

JFK 
There is a new law in place in New York that requires vaccination certificates for certain indoor activities including restaurant access. This applies also for the breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Therefore, please carry your vaccination certificates with you as well as a photo ID to ensure access.

Unvaccinated crews can still use the offered “grab and go” breakfast. 

DWC
The “Expo” in Dubai has commenced (01OCT2021 – 31MAR2022) and the city as well as our crew hotel are extremely busy.

In order to help reducing the risk of Covid infections it was agreed that a room service breakfast can be ordered free of charge instead of the buffet breakfast. In case of early departure, a breakfast box can be ordered free of charge when receiving the wakeup call.

There have been numerous occasions of inconveniences related to the Expo such as “traffic jams” to and from the airport, at the elevator and the hotel restaurant, noise problems, allocation of rooms with a connecting door and rooms not being ready upon arrival of the crews.

We know that particularly the latter is frustrating when having to wait for a room after a long Flight Duty.

The hotel is aware of these problems and assured us that they try their utmost to limit the negative impact. Furthermore, the number of bookings now include a bigger buffer, however, not all eventualities can be covered. We therefore ask you to show a certain degree of tolerance when confronted with these Expo-induced temporary deficiencies and act professional and respectful towards the hotel staff, as unilateral hotel or Cargolux imposed relieve strategies could result in more severe and potentially long-term disadvantages.

Deficiencies, however, still need to be addressed: The best way is to report them via VR and send a copy to cvhotels@alpl.lu

We remain in close contact with a cooperative and helpful hotel management to look for improvements.

We have been informed about upcoming renovations in the Hilton hotel in LCK. According to the hotel management the renovation is limited to carpet, wallcovering, upholstered items, mattresses and TV. Please find below the message from the hotel. 

„We feel confident that we can properly isolate the crew both in terms of their assigned floor as well as the hours that work would occur.  We can assign Cargolux Crew to rooms at least two floors away from the work site.”

The works will start on 01 November 2021 and are expected to finish in June 2022.

If you experience any disturbance due to the renovations, please kindly ask for a more quiet room, if available. However, we ask you to stay professional and respectful to the front desk staff. 

If required file a VR and send a copy to cvhotels@alpl.lu

In this short update we would just like to inform you that the Intercontinental Hotel in ORD has started to offer breakfast buffets 7 days a week. As a result it was decided to discontinue the 25$ allowance and to incorporate the breakfast buffet into the room rate in ORD.

No Hotel Committee member was able to inspect the current quality of the breakfast buffet, therefore we would appreciate a short feedback to cvhotels@alpl.lu

Thanks for your help on this!

MIA
The increased value of the breakfast voucher (25$) remains insufficient for a breakfast of good standard, as required per CWA. In absence of a buffet we requested an a‘la carte breakfast including one main course, fruits, a regular hot and cold beverage including all fees and gratuity to be incorporated into the room rate. We hope for a swift implementation and hope this rectification is well received.

We would like to share some information about the latest developments regarding hotels and accommodation:

USA general 
At the following destinations the additional allowance of 25$, to be claimed via CME, is applicable: ANC, ORD, JFK, DFW and SEA. 

We try to continuously monitor the quality and the offered options. As this is not always possible in a timely manner, we appreciate any feedbacks of changes (for better and worse) in order to be able to suggest alternatives.

Regarding HSV, we try to ensure that the originally agreed general standard in case of no buffet available (one main course, fruits, hot and cold regular beverage including all fees, taxes and gratuities) are met in the future.

DWC 
As already communicated by the CPO we confirm the hotel change to the Sofitel Jumeirah Beach as of 01 August 2021. The Hotel Committee asked for this change because of the persistent noise exposure that some colleagues suffered from in the Hilton JBR hotel. We are confident that now we found a good solution in terms of the mandatory suitability while still offering a good variety of amenities.

The negotiated benefits of the Sofitel are:

• 20% discount in restaurants & bars (excluding in room dining, mini bar and tobacco)
• One complimentary uniform pressing per pilot per stay
• Complimentary beach kit

The beach kit consists of a beach mat, towel, water and an umbrella. Please note that unlike in the Hilton, the sunbeds at the beach are owned by an external provider and are therefore chargeable.

For feedback please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via email to cvhotels@alpl.lu.

Since our last members update we were mainly busy finetuning the details regarding the return to our contracted hotels in the US. This happens with a constructive dialogue between the Procurement Department, OHS, Compliance and us. We still have to ask you to remain patient while we are in the transition phase. In this update we will, however, give you some information on planned changes concerning hotel accommodation.

DWC
We have been informed that a number of reports have been filed regarding noise problems in the Hilton Jumeirah Beach.

A quiet room is of utmost importance for a crew rest. The amenities in the Hilton hotel are extensive. There is a variety of restaurants and food outlets on the hotel premises as well as beach access, giving us the opportunity to have a quality rest even when required to be in hotel confinement.

The Hotel Committee would not have any opportunity to inspect alternative hotels in the area, particularly as anyone would need a PCR test certificate to be allowed to leave the hotel. Furthermore, as this is the high tourist season, it was felt that any open hotels would be in a similar situation with higher occupancy.

Regarding the potential noise problems, we will remind the Hilton hotel management to allocate rooms on the more quiet side of the hotel (not facing the pool area and the adjacent construction site) and as far away from the elevators as possible. In order to enable you to ensure that this is respected when you check in, we would like to share the room numbering information: 

• Even room numbers are facing the quiet side (south).
• The lower numbers are further away from the elevator (eg #300 is the furthest, #350 is opposite of the elevator).

In summary it is the position of the Hotel Committee to stay at the Hilton resort. We expect the high amounts of hotel tourists to become less as soon as it gets hotter in the summertime. Furthermore, for many of us a layover in DWC will be followed by one or more layovers in BKK, where the harsh in-room confinement is still enforced. To give crew members a maximum amount of freedom beforehand is something that we would also like you to consider.

While we understand the significant problems related to disturbed crew rest, we are faced with the challenge to find suitable solutions. Therefore, we would like to encourage you to trust us and use the aforementioned information on quiet rooms to mitigate any issues, in case that the front desk fails to allocate suitable rooms in the first place.

GYD 
Crews are allowed to move freely, however, the Fly Inn Baku airport hotel is the mandated accommodation for crews by the authorities. We monitor the development and will try to organize a move back to city as soon as we are allowed to do so.

IND
Reestablishing layovers in IND started off on a bad foot. Our priority recommendation was the Conrad hotel, with the Omni as an alternate, suggested out of memory. Unfortunately, the quality of the Omni has suffered since we left it many years ago.

Thanks to your quick reports we were made aware of the deficiencies and agreed with management to reassess the situation and to contact the Conrad for an offer.

MIA
Due to certain deficiencies at the Hyatt we also agreed to move back to the Conrad.

ORD
We suggested to move back to downtown Chicago where the only known open option for the time being is the InterConti hotel.

In general USA
Regarding the overall breakfast situation in the US, it is the position of the Hotel Committee that we need some improvements in order to be CWA compliant. Therefore, we suggested to establish the following procedure:

We shall be entitled to: 

1. Breakfast buffet where available. With COVID measures this may not be possible for some time.
2. A‘la carte breakfast or Room service breakfast included in the room rate. That breakfast shall include a hot main dish, fruit, a regular hot beverage (coffee/tea), a juice and all supplementary fees like tax, delivery fee and gratuity. Premium hot beverages like Cappuccino would have to be paid by the individual crew member.
3. A 25$ daily allowance where the above is not available or not up to standard. This will be claimed via the “Reporting” application on the iPad.

This was agreed on and Procurement will try to contact the relevant hotels for incorporating this into the room rate where applicable. We will keep you updated whenever there is a change.

Texas has lifted the requirements to wear masks in public, although it is still recommended by the US health authorities. We would like to emphasize that it is nonetheless in our own interest to use the available and known COVID precautions. Please stay vigilant!

Last but not least we would like to farewell Dave Wainwright from “Your Everloving Hotel Committee”. Dave has decided that sixteen years of organizing hotels is finally enough. We respect this decision and want to thank Dave for his commitment during such a long time. He will thankfully continue to be approachable to the rest of us, allowing all of us to benefit from his experience. Cheers Dave!

In response to the letters sent to Senior Management on 21 January and 27 January we were invited to discuss the relevant hotel matters with the CEO on 02 February.

We are happy to announce that we found an agreement that the use of COVID-Escape-Hotels, when certain infection rates are reached, has become an obsolete procedure and that we will be accommodated in our normal contracted hotels in the US. These moves will be organized over the coming weeks and it was agreed that the Hotel Committee will be an integral part in the selection as stipulated in the CWA. We appreciate your patience during the transition period.

Once the moves commence, please provide feedbacks of any shortcomings to cvhotels@alpl.lu so that we can try to resolve these directly with the relevant hotels.

Monitoring of hospital capacity will still be done to determine whether it is safe to stay at the respective destinations or areas. It is our position that it has to be ensured, in case of a crew member falling sick, he/she has to have the possibility to get the necessary medical treatments.

Not all of our contracted hotels will have the level of service that we are used to. Particularly the food outlets might be affected, therefore we agreed with the CEO that, where no breakfast can be offered, a US$25 additional allowance is granted, which would have to be claimed via IQSMS Miscellaneous Expense Report.

There will be no obligation for flight crews to stay in hotel confinement as there are no legal grounds to demand this by an employer. However, depending on current infection rates the company might recommend staying within the confinements of the crew hotel for crew protection and business continuity.

We would also like to remind all members to be vigilant about possible COVID infections: Please apply all known COVID precautions including social distancing, wearing of PPE and hygene. Apart from the associated personal risks it would be counterproductive to suffer a spike in infections prooving our approach wrong, where we suggest accepting higher area infection rates but stay in familiar, affluent surroundings in our suitable hotels.

We would like to conclude in thanking our members, for their support and feedback. Filing reports and providing us with the copies enabled us to challenge the shortcommings and to have Senior Management reconsider the abovementioned procedure.

We would hereby like to inform you that the latest hotel changes in ATL, DFW and IAH were done without the consent of the hotel committee. It is very likely that one or more of the mandatory aspects, particularly regarding noise insulation and permanent access to proper nutrition are not met.
 
For any deficiency please file the applicable reports and provide a copy to cvhotels@alpl.lu.
 
As already frequently communicated by the ALPL Divisional Board, please carefully evaluate your fitness to responsibly operate an aircraft if the quality of your rest period is insufficient due to degraded hotel standards.
 
The current list of hotels that were unilatrerally selected and are either not checked or that are seen as unsuitable by the hotel committee are:
 
ATL: Hilton Airport
DFW: Grand Hyatt DFW Airport
IAH: Sheraton North Houston Airport Hotel
JFK: Andaz Hotel
LAX: Hyatt Regency Westlake
MIA: Intercontinental at Doral
SEA: Hyatt Regency Lake Washington

Below you will find a short update on hotels at various destinations.

ANC
The feedbacks that we receive from the crews on the Alyeska resort Girdwood remain mainly positive. The challenge remains nutrition. We have discussed this issue with management and in order to avoid any confusion we would like to summarize what has been agreed on.

If there are any discrepancies to the below mentioned agreements, please file a VR and send a copy to cvhotels@alpl.lu

We have brought up the issue of the high and additional cost of delivery fees if a pilot decides to have breakfast as room service. Senior Management has agreed that they will absorb this fee. The daily allowance that was offered whilst at the Sheraton has nottransferred to Alyeska.

Senior Management has agreed that every crew member arriving at the hotel will receive a snack box to help crew members through the local night hours when there are no possibilities to obtain any nutrition. Furthermore, the food boxes in the hotel, prepared for the early departures should contain an additional bagel.

The combination of these measures should mitigate the nutrition issues to an acceptable level.

As always, for any shortcomings at this or any destination please file a Voyage Report. This is the only way we are able to correct any deficiencies.

One remaining potential problem could be the reception´s inflexibility to issue additional breakfast vouchers in case of a delay.

LAX
Due to rising COVID numbers in the area management has decided to move crews to a different county with lower infection rates. The hotel that was chosen will be the Hyatt Regency Westlake in Ventura county. The hotel committee again did not have the chance to inspect the hotel for suitability, therefore we have to ask you again for thorough feedback as soon as layovers commence there. This will enable us to help organize any improvements regarding any deficiencies in that hotel or indicate to us the urgency to find a suitable alternative accommodation if the hotel turns out to be unacceptable.

JFK
We received reports about the reception not being staffed during night hours. As we check in and out during all times of the day it is important that this is possible without delays. Please report any such occurrences so that it can be addressed properly.

DXB
When this Hotel Committee update was published initially on 14 December 2020 we stated that the requirement to stay in the hotel in DWC during a layover was lifted.

Despite having sought clarification and asked various sources to clarify that status, we received conflicting information in this context and our statement was wrong.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed by the responsible authorities that for crew members indeed it is still required to stay within the premises of the hotel in DWC whilst on a layover.

Thanks again for your support, the copy of reports and feedbacks that we have received so far. This helps us to identify the most urgent problems requiring our attention and it gives us adequate reasoning when addressing these items with management.

In this edition of the Hotel Committee members update we would mainly like to write about the latest developments in ANC.

Many of you have noticed a hotel change in  ANC and approached us with questions of why we moved to the Alyeska resort. Unfortunately and once again we were not consulted and therefore we were not able to provide you with any details. The CPO sent out their update on the change on 12 November 2020 with details of the hotel and what is available.
 
Pilot Representatives meet regularly with management on the current situation of changes due to COVID. In previous meetings we have requested to be informed as soon as possible to look for alternative areas with suitable hotels, when hotspots are appearing whereby the trigger points will require a change at a destination. This will ensure that facilities for proper rest and nutrition are met.
 
In the last COVID meeting, on 13 November 2020, the need to maintain the collaboration was once again restated to Senior Management, as the Hotel Committee was not consulted and as we will likely require further temporary hotel changes with the number of coronavirus cases in the US is increasing.

Regarding the hotel itself, our research shows that Alyeska resort is remotely located above the town of Girdwood. However, it is attached to the valley station of the Alyeska ski area. With the ski season expected to open in mid-December this may attract numerous guests that will likely populate the hotel and its restaurants. 
 
We understand the need to ensure the safety and health of our colleagues, nevertheless consulting the Hotel Committee as stipulated in the CWA and the Hotel and Procurement Policy must be maintained in all circumstances.

The information from the CPO and what was discussed on 13 November 2020 indicates that nutrition would be available 24/7.

Therefore we have to ask you, the members, again for your feedback regarding the quality of the hotel and whether the minimum required standards can be achieved (with the priority of cleanliness, quietness and permanent access to nutrition). In particular we would like to know what the quality of the room service is like and the food boxed items that will be made available between 21.00h – 07.00h. 
 
As we understand, there is a local doctors office in town, but the real medical facilities are still located in Anchorage which would require a transport downtown. We will research what medical services are available. 
 
Apparently, this hotel has been used in the past when we had an overflow of flights and our normal hotel was not able to accommodate us. We would like to hear from pilots who had stayed there and their thoughts.
 
ALL standards have to be well met.
 
Please file the respective Voyage Reports about any deficiencies (pictures help) and forward a copy to cvhotels@alpl.lu
  
Rest of the US
You may be aware that the number of COVID cases is dramatically increasing in the US. The following destinations are being reviewed: ORD, DFW, HSV and LCK.
 
The good news is, that the Voyage Reports you filed do make a difference. The company is about to finish signing a contract with the Hilton hotel in LCK (Columbus). This move should fix most of the noise problems that crews reported so far. Unfortunately, another change might become necessary with the above-mentioned rise in COVID numbers.
 
Once we have discussed all of these hotspots and Senior Management wishes to continue layovers there, however, we will look at what areas are suitable to possibly make a hotel change. We appreciate suggestions from your side.

Thanks a lot for your support!

We would like to follow up on the latest changes in our hotel network sharing the implications of recent changes and provide some background information. 
 
Once again, we would like to thank all the colleagues who helped us with their reports bringing deficiencies to our attention and to provide feedback (both positive and negative) to changes made regarding our accommodation. These are a valuable contribution to our work particularly as we don´t always get the opportunities to suggest hotels to the company before a move is decided.
 
There are regular meetings with Senior Management to assess where the next COVID risks are, and these are held at least two weeks before moves are made. We are still expecting that we are part of the process to suggest all hotels in a collaborative approach predominantly because we are the end users of hotels.
 
Nutrition has been a real concern at many of the hotels. Location of hotels is therefore important where restaurants are open, even for pick up or delivery service. 
 
Please continue to provide reports on hotels and meal deficiencies via a Voyage Report on iQSMS as this information is passed on to Senior Management at regular COVID meetings to make the remedial changes. 
 
USA General
Due to the ongoing COVID crisis in parts of the US and the associated risks, Flight Operations Management has had to react in such a dynamic situation. This includes the suspension of layovers in certain destinations or, when risks are acceptable in certain states, to relocate hotel accommodation to safer areas such as in Texas. Many hotels still have limited inhouse restaurant facilities especially for breakfast where we see substandard quantity and quality.
 
IAH
The Westin Woodlands hotel in Montgomery County was selected without the consent of the hotel committee, however, after having checked it and after having received positive feedback from numerous flight crews the hotel committee has agreed to this temporary accommodation. The breakfast was far below what is considered a minimum nutrition value and once advising management the hotel will provide inhouse room dining between 07.00 and 09.00 local time.
 
DFW
The Embassy Suites in Denton was also unilaterally selected by the company without consulting the Hotel Committee. We are particularly concerned about the lack of (proper) nutrition as the restaurants in walking distance are fast food restaurants only. We would appreciate feedback from the crews whether the hotel and its surroundings are acceptable or not. As usual, please file a Voyage Report and send a copy to cvhotels@alpl.lu
 
HKG
Just as we were about to publish this update indicating that HKG layovers were being avoided, there has been a change. We are still determining what the situation will be at the hotel nominated by the authorities. As you will have noticed this is now the third destination where in room confinement is now mandated. Again any updated reports on the hotel would be appreciated.
 
BKK
It is very unfortunate that at this time the restrictions have been further tightened. We are still forced to stay at the Novotel airport hotel. The permission to leave the room and to visit the courtyard Thai Garden to alleviate total isolation in room confinements has been revoked.
 
We have to self-quarantine in the room and are not allowed to leave it unless it is for the next flight duty. Smokers can, however, request a smoking room. We would appreciate reports on quality of room service if it has changed. 
 
ICN
We are glad to announce that we will change hotels and return to the JW Marriott in the near future. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all colleagues who filed numerous reports to ensure that the CWA non compliances of the previous hotel accommodation could be challenged.
 
MEX
While we are happy to have returned to the Hyatt hotel, we unfortunately received reports about an unsatisfactory breakfast situation. The buffet is closed and instead crew members were only allowed to consume up to 400 Pesos (US$18) on the a la carte breakfast, which was not sufficient. 
 
We addressed this with management, and this has now been rectified with the following breakfast: “freshly squeezed orange, grapefruit or green juice or sliced fruit with plain yogurt, two eggs any style with hash brown and protein of your choice: turkey ham, bacon or country sausages, freshly baked pastries from “Amado” (two pieces) or whole wheat or white toast (two slices) American Coffee or tea”.
 
HSV
On 2 August we commenced flights to Huntsville. The hotel is the Westin Huntsville and is located in an area with plenty of restaurants that are open for business. As per the Hotel Policy two other hotels were also viewed so that tenders can be requested for a permanent contract. The Westin will be maintained for three months and has the following benefits:
 
Breakfast is open 07.00 to 09.00 local time and has an a la carte menu where a coupon is provided at check in. Currently no room service is available, however the restaurant is open in the evenings.