JetBlue Airways aircraft are pictured at departure gates at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Recent York.
Fred Prouser | Reuters
JetBlue Airways said it is going to raise flight attendant pay next yr and supply other bonuses to staff while the union representing cabin crews agreed to support the carrier’s plan to accumulate budget carrier Spirit Airlines.
Starting in November, flight attendants will get 5% raises. Including one other 2% raise, a slate of other incentives and previously negotiated raises under flight attendants’ union contract, their raises in 2026 will compound to 21.5% increases, in line with an organization memo, which was seen by CNBC Friday.
The raises come because the Recent York-based carrier is within the means of trying to accumulate Spirit, a merger the Justice Department has sued to dam. A trial for that lawsuit is ready to start on Oct. 16 in Boston.
JetBlue agreed to not furlough or displace any flight attendants or close any associated bases for seven years after a possible acquisition of Spirit goes through, the memo said.
“The present contract was negotiated during COVID, and since then our inflight crewmembers pay rates have fallen below other airlines by a big margin,” a JetBlue spokesman said in a press release. “Because our inflight crewmembers play a big role in delivering the JetBlue experience, it is important that we’re capable of attract and retain high-quality crewmembers with competitive pay and advantages.”
The union said it could, in turn, support the planned acquisition of Spirit.
“With this agreement made by your TWU Local 579 Executive Board and JetBlue, we support the JetBlue and Spirit transaction and is not going to hold an extra informational picket or speak publicly against the acquisition,” the union said in a note to members.
JetBlue also agreed to additional pay for workers that fly the carrier’s trans-Atlantic routes and in its Mint business-class cabin, in addition to other incentives, in line with a letter of agreement with the Transport Employees Union, which represents JetBlue’s 7,000 flight attendants.
