An American Airlines 777-300ER at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
American Airlines, as part of currently ongoing federally mediated contract talks, offered its flight attendants so-called “boarding pay,” it is understood. The move makes the carrier the first in the nation to offer this type of compensation to unionized cabin crew.
Most airlines only begin to pay flight attendants once boarding has been completed and the aircraft door is closed until the flight arrives at its gate at its destination.
In 2022, Delta Air Lines began to pay its flight attendants 50% of their normal hourly compensation during boarding, a move that was made possible because the airline’s cabin crew workforce is not unionized.
There are other key issues, however, that have yet to be resolved, as the union has continued to reject the airline’s proposals, saying that American has drawn an “unreasonable line in the sane.”
American will only offer an 11% pay increase and a top pay rate of $76 per hour, matching Delta Air Lines’ current compensation structure, while the union is seeking more of an increase. The Fort Worth-based carrier is also offering to enter into a contract that runs for just two years or until United Airlines and its flight attendants reach an agreement.
The union representing American Airlines flight attendants, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, is asking for a salary increase of approximately 35% along with retroactive pay and increased allowances and per diem expense allowance rates.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
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