American Airlines and its flight attendants have a tentative agreement on a new contract, four and a half years after the last one became amendable.
Details of the five year deal are now public. Between immediate pay rate changes and the addition of boarding pay, flight attendants will receive up to 28% raises immediately the month following contract ratification. And they’ll get full retro pay for the time spent without a new contract, which can be over $25,000 per crewmember.
This is mostly what American Airlines had been offering throughout the bulk of negotiations. With Southwest flight attendants getting retro pay, that improved the union’s bargaining position. And last ditch negotiations the past few months moved the airline up 1-3% in wages, depending on seniority.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy has experienced 25% inflation since January 2019 when flight attendants last received wages. Raises alone will not make up for this.
- First through sixth year flight attendants will receive immediate 18% raises
- Seventh through twelfth year flight attendants will receive immediate 19% raises
- Cabin crew with 13 years of seniority and higher will receive immediate 20% raises
- Boarding pay will make up the difference for many, making a bigger difference for junior crew working more domestic segments and less for senior crew generally working a lesser number of longer flights. On average the union believes boarding pay represents an 8.2% wage increase.
Overall American estimates that wages under this deal are a hair above Delta’s. American was offering Delta wages months ago. Bear in mind that Delta flight attendants still earn more profit sharing since Delta’s profits are substantially greater.
In June American Airlines was offering 17% wage increases, which matched Delta after its recent pay increase. The union had dropped its demands from 35% increases to 28% increases. American even offered to immediately pay 17% wage increases while bargaining continued. The union rejected this, fearing it would reduce their membership’s will to potentially strike.
Ultimately they did get a little more. They wound up at 18% – though more senior crew, the ones who haven’t been the union’s poster children for suffering under 2019 wages get slightly more.
Here’s the old and new hourly wage table:
| Jan 1 ’19 | New Contract | % Change | ||||
| 1st Year | 30.35 | 35.82 | 18% | |||
| 2nd Year | 32.18 | 37.97 | 18% | |||
| 3rd Year | 34.24 | 40.4 | 18% | |||
| 4th Year | 36.47 | 43.03 | 18% | |||
| 5th Year | 40.16 | 47.39 | 18% | |||
| 6th Year | 45.48 | 53.67 | 18% | |||
| 7th Year | 49.76 | 59.21 | 19% | |||
| 8th Year | 51.35 | 61.11 | 19% | |||
| 9th Year | 52.77 | 62.8 | 19% | |||
| 10th Year | 54.75 | 65.15 | 19% | |||
| 11th Year | 56.25 | 66.94 | 19% | |||
| 12th Year | 58.93 | 70.12 | 19% | |||
| 13th Year+ | 68.25 | 82.24 | 20% |
In subsequent years, flight attendants receive increases to this scale of 2.75%; 3%; 3%; and 3.5%.
What’s a really big deal here is that flight attendants get full retro pay to make up for raises they might have received had they not been without annual increases since January 1, 2020. That means they get back pay to cover hypothetical raises during the worst of Covid even.
- 2020: 3% of pay
- 2021: 4% of pay
- 2022: 4% of pay
- 2023: 10.8% of pay
- 2024: 20% of pay earned through August 31, 2024
The amount of retro pay in a lump sum will depend on a flight attendant’s wages in each year. However, a flight attendant who currently has 17 years of seniority, holding an 80 hour line each month during this period, would receive a $23,000 check. Union officers receive 115 hours of trip removal pay and can work beyond that. They’ll receive at least $33,000.
Per diems go up as well:
So do 401(k) contributions:
And so do premium pay rates for working lead, purser and galley positions.
Both sides were playing chicken with the National Mediation Board over a strike, which the Board didn’t want to dump in the President’s lap in advance of the election. Meanwhile, the union didn’t want to risk a Mediation Board eventually with a majority appointed by a Republican, if the current party in power loses.
Wages wound up where everyone expected. American said all along they would equal the top of the industry, which is Delta, and they’ve been offering Delta’s pay rates, boarding pay, and profit-sharing formula throughout.
The impressive thing here is that flight attendants received full retro pay – all of this time working towards a contract, the airline didn’t save money on pay. Southwest Airlines flight attendants won retro pay in their deal which changed the game.
The big question throughout has been will American Airlines flight attendants vote to ratify any contract that they might reasonably achieve? The union has been promising huge raises – up to 35% right away! – and wasn’t ever going to achieve that. But did that set a baseline that would mean any actual deal would disappoint?
American Airlines flight attendants voted against their negotiated contract after the merger with US Airways, even though that meant defaulting to an arbitration award that was capped at a value less generous than what they’d voted against (the company on its own offered to pay a higher amount).
We’ll see what happens – there has been a lot of talk of voting against this deal – but full retro pay, and the allure of big checks up front, should make a big difference in securing passage.
Meanwhile, we now know a big part of why American Airlines doesn’t expect to earn a profit for the late summer period of July through September.
Well, good for them ! Let’s hope that now that they’ve gotten what they wanted through whining & bitching and not doing their jobs fully on flights,that all flight attendants will now fullfill their obligations of there jobs and do them correctly on flights
These numbers are still well below what the pilots were able to negotiate.
The (overwhelmingly female) flight attendants should be ashamed of their union for settling for a penny less than their (overwhelmingly male) colleagues in the flight deck receive.
This is 2024. We need to see equal pay!
“According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy has experienced 25% inflation since January 2019 when flight attendants last received wages. Raises alone will not make up for this.”
Correct. In real dollars, adjusted for inflation, they are earning less money.
While passengers on fixed incomes without cost of living adjustment (COLA, yes i lived through 1979’s 13% hyperinflation) still are abused by crew who expect passengers to serve the crew, not crew to serve the passengers.
Best wishes and good luck to the jet set, out there!
It will be a result test of character if service improves. Things such as pre departure beverage service now that boarding pay has been introduced.
My guess is only marginal changes as too many of the cabin crew are far to jaded unfortunately.
I gave up on AA and won’t be returning.
I vote with my wallet.
It’s still a mess.
The pay raises DO NOT keep up with inflation.
It’s a hard NO.
Can I give AA my address to retroactively receive all the pre-departure beverages the FAs didn’t serve while protesting their pay?
“We need to see equal pay!”
FA’s should earn as much as a pilot?
“FA’s should earn as much as a pilot?”
His feeble attempt at trying to sound cool and politically correct. I see plenty of male flight attendants. I doubt the numbers are “overwhelming” female.
I’m hearing a lot of No’s from AA Flight attendants. It should be interesting
It’s a 10000000% no. The devil is in the details and it always looks like diamonds and glitter with the “wage increases.”
Some of these comments are disgusting. Are you going to die without you boarding beverages? Can you go to work and not be pay for portions of your work ?? If not stfu .. why should we serve you drink when we are practically working for free ?? Delays we don’t get pay, sitting at the airport for hours we don’t get pay, but omg it is end of the world if you don’t get your beverage during boarding .. sickening. Here’s a thought, We may be a lot happier to do our job if passengers stop acting so shitty and our company stop treating us like shit .
according to this new contract 2019 didn’t happen…so it’s left off the settlement
@Sean M you’re implying that FAs should be paid equally to pilots? That’s hilarious and I sincerely hope it’s 100% sarcasm for your sake.
ROBYN this one is for you baby.
Please don’t fly. U are the issue in all of this.
Stay home adopt a child. Find something to do. You seem to be a very unhappy women.
AA’s flight attendants do less than ever and with a bad attitude. I don’t want to bother figuring out the math to see if it’s a real increase. But either way, I’m not sure an increase is justified.
FA’s are there primarily for your safety. Do they provide more safety as they gain seniority?
@Sally – PLEASE QUIT YOUR JOB. I am sure you can find gainful employment at the DMV where you belong. FAs like you will never quit whining and bitching about the passengers who pay your salary. Nothing, literally nothing will EVER be enough for lazy, hateful, entitled, anti-customer employees like you. And if you don’t quit, you need stfu and get me a Woodford before the door closes.
@Sally…yikes
Dear Flight Attendants. YOU ARE NOT PILOTS! Yes, you should be paid fair for the job you do. This contract covers that and more. This new contract is STARTING at $50k a year and you could have just graduated high school a week before you started. Your job at the end of the is an unskilled labor job. Pilots spent $200k+ to get where they are at. It is skilled labor. The sense of entitlement the union has given you is astounding. They sold you that your job is a $100k+ year job as a new hire. It’s not. If you don’t like it, quit. There are 10000 people behind you who are just as qualified and would be more than happy for a $50k a year starting pay job. And the other comments you guys make like why should we serve drinks for free blah. WELCOME TO SALARIED LIFE! You STILL make a minimum of 50k a year.
@SeanM what? Here is the deal. To get your ATP license you need to have a pilot’s license first. That is ballpark $8-10k give or take and 40 hours. Then you need your instrument rating. Another 3-5k. Then you need a commercial pilot license. This is another 20 hours but you need at least 10 in complex aircraft which raises the price of the hour. Another 10-15k. Now the big one. To be a pilot for a part 121 operator you need an ATP license. This requires 1500 hours. You need to build those hours somehow. Some become a CFI and make at best 15-20 an hour. Some just build time on their own roughly $200 an hour for a plane. What is 200 times 1500? In the worst case, you are looking at roughly 300k JUST to build the hours. If you can afford the low pay you can do it for less but it’s much harder. So now, you are looking at 200-300k in debt FINALLY able to get hired by an airline. I know you tried to have a gotcha here, but there are plenty of male FA’s and a lot albeit, not enough, female crew. This isn’t a battle for sexism. This is what the job is.
The “fun” part of this is that AA can’t pay these increase wages with their declining profits. I wouldn’t worry about it tho; this will just be taken care of in the next bankruptcy.
@SALLY be a good girl and get me a woodford on the rocks! I’ve had better service from the male FA’s than these old jaded single cat lady’s. They need to go back to the charm farm and learn how to be good girls!
@Sally: You might want to look for a new job. You clearly don’t like your customers or your employer. It might just be better for all of us.
Surveys bring out that pre-departure beverages are important to customers. Why you should do it? Because other airlines will and customers like it and will rather choose your competition. Your airline will still fill the seat, but to a cheaper price with a type of customer you might like even less. More work for you, less money for your company and then also less profit sharing and money for you. The company can’t continue to give out money it doesn’t have. They might even have to file for Chapter 11 in the end and that might drag down other employees, too.
@ Sally — The FAs at American have my complete symapthy, but if you are already at work, would it kill YOU to do your job? Is it really that much easier to sit and do nothing? You are already there, so maybe try to find something to be happy about? Maybe giving good service could make you and the customers happier? If you hate your job that much, maybe you would be happier doing something else? Life is too short to be miserable at work.
Never was a group of employees like American Airlines flight attendants who were less deserving of this raise. Do you think this will magically improve their attitude and service? Worst flight attendants in the world!
The time value of money means AA came out like a bandit by waiting to settle and the cost to the company will be be a half billion plus in higher costs per year plus at least the same in retro
@Mike Hunt. I agree with you 1000000000% the service will not improve or their attitudes but for sure you’ll find them flight attendants in the rear gallery running their mouth and doing nothing while they’re getting paid. Maybe they should take lessons from Delta’s flight attendants on how to treat the customers that are paying their salary.
Delta is getting another raise. Southwest is paid higher than this. United will be higher. Basically this will make AA the lowest paid group in the industry. Also no work rule improvement. Southwest max schedule duty day is 10 hours, Alaska is 10.5, AA is still 13.15 hours. Holding pay when you board and then get delayed is still paid at $7 an hour. AA is still a week below other carriers for vacation days. Lots of issues with this TA
@sally just confirmed nothing will change. But bad mouthing paying customers ( who actually pay your salary) might well.increase
How is AA going to pay for all the raises they got? Well, AA is losing money and they probably won’t see a profit till the second quarter of 2025 maybe. This is what will happen, AA will file for bankruptcy sooner than later and then they will pay flight attendants less than what they’re making now and the bankruptcy Judges in New York will give AA anything they want. This is why AA gave the flight attendants all they were asking for. In the end AA won. If you don’t think AA won’t file Brupcy, just watch.
I’m a flight Attendant for AA. I am very proud of the job I do despite not having had a raise in over 5 years. The mad rush to get the cabin ready for boarding never stops me and my colleagues (on the particular flights that I work) from providing pre-departure drinks, hanging jackets, taking meal orders, setting up carts, helping with luggage space, helping unaccompanied minors, verifying catering, etc, all during boarding, without getting paid and with staffing cuts that were never brought back to pre-covid levels despite the to full service. I do this because I do not just represent AA but also myself and my fellow crew members. I cannot feel good at the end of a trip if I was rude, lazy or unkind to the people who pay my salary. I’ve made many friends with passengers throughout the years and stay in touch with several. Most of my colleagues are outstanding, caring professionals. Why people expect us to subsidize travel by not taking a pay raise in half a decade, is puzzling. If, hypothetically, we agreed to a Would you be ok not getting a raise in over 5 years? Why so much hate for us?
@Sally…You are in the wrong profession. 29-year UA F/A here. Unlike you, I am not going to take the snail’s pace of our current contract negotiations out on the customer. I want the Global Service and 1K customers on our side. That means I still come to work and conduct myself in a professional manner by delivering the required service including pre-departure beverages. I get that there are times when caterers are severely delayed and pre-departures cannot be accomplished prior to pushback…but I am not going to take my frustration with my employer out on the customer. As for “shitty” customers, rarely do I encounter a shitty customer. I think it’s because I don’t act shitty towards them. In our job, it’s not hard to be pleasant. You reap what you sow.
Nothing will change. Snarky FAs and poor service.
Delia’s profit sharing depends on how much a flight attendant works. Gary talks out of his behind, his articles are very anti-union. Let’s be clear that Delta flight attendants don’t have a working contract, their work rules were established by Delta. The company can rescind on anything offered to them. Delta failed beyond words last weekend during the IT melt down, I can guarantee that the flight attendants we’re under compensated and mistreated by management, while Ed is hanging out in Paris doing absolutely nothing to make sure front line workers were taken care of. Please spare us all the hype about how fantastic Delta is. Kudos to the APFA for maintaining their stance, no contract is perfect, however, the flight attendants at American have a voice! I hope this new agreement brings much relief to them.
They don’t deserve that contract. The FA’s are rude and unprofessional. If a customer wants a drink or requests your service you are to do it no questions asked! Customers pay your salary therefore you earn your wage, not entitled to it!
It appears Gary Leff may have a case of mistaken identity. He does not author a customer service complaint column for disgruntled, first-class American Airlines passengers to publicly flaunt their uncouth, alcoholic tendencies. If you don’t have the tolerance to wait until inflight …. the real problem lays within, not with the Flight Crew.
jetsetter gets it.
Frank does not get it and just throws whatever he HOPES will stick.
Delta led the industry in pay raises for its unionized pilots and then for other work groups.
Delta FAs have gotten profit sharing that more than offsets whatever other unionized workgroups MIGHT negotiate.
as for the DL IT meltdown and the impact on workgroups, let’s not be so forgetful as to pretend that United didn’t have its own massive operational impact in June 2023 that was solely of UA’s own overscheduling of EWR.
and UA did have the second largest impact from CrowdStrike. There were more than 1500 UA flights cxld during the CrowdStrike issue and I can guarantee you that all kinds of UA employees were negatively impacted.
DL just happens to use many more in-house applications and systems that took longer to bring back online and that largely happened by Monday afternoon – the third day – just one day longer than UA. DL’s operation began to recover by Tuesday afternoon and by Wednesday flights were moving pretty close to schedule.
Let’s not forget that DL’s mainline system is larger than both AA and UA’s mainline systems.
None of which changes that DL FAs received multiple pay raises while unions were unable to pry a penny out of AA, UA and WN’s et al back pockets.
@ Jetsetter — Thank you for your service! You are much appreciated.
Worst way to get back at work/life balance, company, work rules, and pay is to go after the passengers.
We don’t pay for the drinks that are for pre departures or regular service. Nor do we pay for food and snacks.
My method is to find a reason to comp someone on either or both, and not enter it in the sales app.
Screw me over on scheduling, pay, layover, legalities, etc?
Ok.
Passengers are getting free snack boxes and bistro at my discretion.
Sir, your content is i wrong. We are not getting a 25,000 paycheck, the math is completely wrong for boarding. Also, per diem, galley pay and lead/purser pay.
Word on the grapevine is a NO Vote! Not after AA had a 7 Billion Dollar profit for last quarter
I agree with Sandra. I too have been a flight attendant with legacy AA for 35 years and a lot problems stem from the current hiring practices. You’ve got a younger generation that wants to be paid immediately and at the top of the mark and then make no effort to work. I do work with a lot that like to come to work and WORK. It’s unfortunate and it’s everywhere now, that some people don’t like their jobs and lot in life. My advice is to leave and start over now while you’re still able. Stop dragging everyone else down, it’s draining. And that’s across the board in every job and every facet of life. Move on.
I learnt a long time ago and it rings true today, a smile and a hello go a long way, even if it’s not reciprocated.
Brace for impact…
@Anonim “Sir, your content is i wrong. We are not getting a 25,000 paycheck, the math is completely wrong for boarding. ” tell that to your union.
Anonim. Check your math. AAL did not make 7 billion, it made 1 billion. A “NO” vote is obviously your choice, but you are sadly mistaken if AAL is going to set a new high on FA wages. They will give you what the industry is paying, not a penny more.
Unlike many on this thread, I fully understands that without satisfied customers that the airline can’t successfully be in business or be profitable. If the FA’s don’t try to understand that they must deliver value to the customers first and in return secondly share in the profits of the airline then they are subject to the failed results. If AA provides everything the union is demanding and then isn’t profitable for their shareholders then they will have to lay off FA’s; who is effected? Ultimately FA’s with no seniority lose their jobs and mid-level FA’s get horrible schedules and reserve duty. It is wise to consider the consequences of all of this. You may get you want in the short term and feel the effects down the road if you look at it only through paycheck glasses. Be wise and take some pride in serving customers with excellence.
Hi Gary,
What’s the best email address to reach you?
@Paul L – gary -at – viewfromthewing.com
If AAFA’s do not ratify get on with a strike already. Get your lump sum you undoubtedly are owed and most everything else you have asked for years.
The earnings outlook for the industry looks shaky from Q3 2024 through Q1 2025. AA is more vulnerable with an over dependence on domestic travel and pressures to hold fares low.
I expect requests for FAs (and pilots) to take voluntary unpaid days to start and perhaps even furloughs in early 2025.
I want to be wrong. But this has been the nature of the industry since 1978, the year of deregulation.
This information is INCORRECT! MR. LEFF you are making our situation worse
@Donna King – what do you think is incorrect here that I have written???
It comes straight from your union. I’ve read the TA. Please cite specific errors..?
Mr. Fahr. I couldn’t agree with you more. Earnings for all carriers is going to be shaky and I feel bad for the employees at JetBlue and Spirit, because the ice on that pond is very thin. Hopefully the ship will right itself for all or we all go down.
And it’s not going to be pretty.
Brace for impact….
I too agree with Mr Fahr. This business is very cyclical and it appears that after a great three years following Covid there might be some storm clouds on the horizon. Luck and timing play a big role in employee contracts. I have seen employee groups secure contracts before an even like 9-11 and other groups not so lucky. When the “Dear Team Member” letter arrives it has no bearing on new contracts or old. You will get whacked on whatever agreement you currently live under. If the F/A’s kill this deal then expect wholesale resignations on the negotiating team and quite possibly resignations from the executive level of APFA. That will delay an agreement further and the deal you see now might have a little sugar added to it but in the end the agreement will still look about the same. Good luck.
@Sandra: I APPRECIATE YOU! My son is also an FA for 2 years with AA and he comes from FINE dining restaurants where you make the experience people are willing to pay for. He’s NEVER rude to anyone on his flights, whether they are in first class or coach. He gets compliments every flight on his generous personality and hospitality. He took a $40,000 PAY CUT to leave Dell and fulfill his dream to be an FA, and actually qualified for food stamps this last year (I do his taxes, so I know). Even after all he’s given up, he loves his job. He flies with other FAs who gripe and complain non-stop and he has told them if they hate their job and the passengers so much, QUIT! They are not suited for FA life. It’s hard. I never knew JUST how hard a FA’s job was until I began to pay closer attention when my son started the FA life. WOW! You couldn’t pay me to do what you guys do! So much abuse from the passengers who are just downright rude, no matter the time of the day. It’s the climate of this country in which we live that has taught people how to be rude, entitled, abusive, and impatient. My son takes his job seriously knowing he holds hundreds of souls on board his flights to care for. He worries for their safety, especially when he sees small children board the flights. He’s a caregiver, and you won’t find a more compassionate FA who isn’t just serving you, he’s a SERVANT to you! That is what being a Christian means to him. My takeaway from this potential deal I’ve read through is this. The 18% increase the juniors are receiving doesn’t make up for our inflation and that is a fact. Giving them pay while they wait around the airport for hours on end because they HAVE to be there “clocked in” is the right thing to do. If they are not there, the passengers cannot board their flight, so they get blamed for not “working without pay”. Who else in their right mind would work without pay? No one. So that is fair. I do not agree with their vacation policy that still only allows 1 week of vacation for anyone less than 5 years in. YIKES! Again, no one else in the secular working field would ever agree to not getting their two weeks after one year of service. This is shameful on AA’s part. Your FAs would be rejuvenated with the appropriate time off to re-center. Stating an FA should get the same pay as the Pilots is so insulting it’s like saying someone at McD’s flipping burgers should get paid the same as the CEO of McD’s. It’s too absurd to even address. Equal pay for the FAs with same year seniority and same position, yes. Let’s keep it apples to apples. Position #1 should always receive a higher wage than Position #2-#6. I’ve seen the difference. It’s akin to a project manager’s position to the work crew. Everyone has an opinion, and this one is mine being a FAMama.