United Airlines flight attendants approved a new five-year labor contract that brings their first pay increases in six years and adds boarding pay, a change the union has long sought for the work done before aircraft depart the gate. The agreement was ratified on Tuesday and covers nearly 30,000 flight attendants at United, the Association of Flight Attendants said.
Under the deal, the union said average pay is set to rise by 31% this summer. The agreement also includes boarding pay that will amount, on average, to an additional 7% to 8% in compensation, along with $741 million in retroactive pay, according to the union.
Ken Diaz, president of the union’s United chapter, said the new terms would “immediately change the lives of United Flight Attendants, especially our thousands of new hires who have been hired since the pandemic,” adding, “Our solidarity delivered the goods.” Sara Nelson, president of the AFA, said the contract “now leads the industry in total value for Flight Attendants — and it should,” in reference to the union’s representation of more than 55,000 flight attendants across 20 airlines.
United CEO Scott Kirby said in a post shared on LinkedIn that the company is “lucky to have the best flight attendants in the world to represent our airline!” He also said he was “very happy that they now have the industry-leading contract that they deserve,” according to the union and the company’s comments as reported.
For years, the labor dispute around airline pay has centered on the period before departure, when flight attendants work during boarding without being paid, despite also assisting passengers, resolving seating and carry-on issues, conducting safety checks and preparing the cabin for departure. The change at United follows a pattern in which several other U.S. carriers added boarding pay after similar pressure, the reporting said.
The Associated Press reported that Delta Air Lines became the first U.S. airline to offer boarding pay in 2022, followed by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. It also noted that, in August, Air Canada’s flight attendants walked off the job—about 10,000 of them—prompting the airline to cancel more than 3,100 flights before the strike ended days later with a deal that included pay for boarding passengers.
The union said the agreement reached through mediation at the National Mediation Board secures expanded job security, includes restrictions on red-eye flying, and provides pay for lengthy delays over 2 1/2 hours. It also said the contract raises retirement contributions, adds 10 weeks of paid parental leave and eliminates 24-hour on-call reserve schedules.
Both United and union leaders described the new contract as setting an industry benchmark, with Kirby and the AFA leadership emphasizing the combined value of the package for flight attendants.