An American Airlines plane prepares to land on the Miami International Airport on May 02, 2023 in Miami, Florida.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
American Airlines and its pilots have reached a preliminary agreement for a recent four-year labor contract after months of tense negotiations, a milestone for the country’s biggest carrier.
The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed but are more likely to include big raises because the industry faces a pilot shortage and aviators seek higher pay after the Covid-19 pandemic paused recent contracts for years. Pilots have also pushed for quality-of-life improvements value more highly scheduling.
The airline was prepared to supply 40% cumulative raises in a four-year deal, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in March. The airline had said that including 401(k) contributions, a senior narrow-body captain can be making $475,000 a yr at the highest of the size.
The brand new agreement will likely take several weeks to finalize. The union said it has to approve contract language before sending it to American’s roughly 15,000 pilots for a ratification vote.
“We’re pleased to have reached an agreement in principle on a recent four-year contract with the Allied Pilots Association (APA) that gives our pilots with pay and profit sharing that match the highest of the industry with improved quality-of-life provisions unique to American’s pilots,” an American spokeswoman said in an announcement.
Negotiations across the industry have been tense. American’s pilots recently authorized the union to call a strike if an agreement couldn’t be reached.
Pilots at United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and FedEx are still in negotiations. Aviators throughout the industry have picketed at airports across the country over the past few years. They’ve demanded pay hikes and higher schedules, amongst other improvements, as they faced what they described as grueling schedules in the course of the rocky travel rebound and better costs of living without raises in years.
Delta Air Lines‘ pilots in March approved a recent labor agreement with 34% raises over 4 years. Delta was the primary of the massive U.S. carriers to succeed in a deal.
