Protesting United Airlines flight attendants are now under investigation, and have been removed from flying duties. Suspending the crewmembers who disrupted United’s big media event was probably inevitable.
At Monday’s launch event for its new business class suites product, a group of the airline’s cabin crew crashed the stage to protest the lack of new contract and five years without a raise as a result.
The FAs have their say at today’s UA new Polaris event pic.twitter.com/eyooJNbEGT
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) May 13, 2025
But first, a brief protest by a very vocal group of United flight attendants demanding better contract terms. Good on them!
— Jason Rabinowitz (@airlineflyer.net) May 13, 2025 at 9:08 AM
The shouted, “if we don’t get it, shut it down” and “what do we want? A contract. When do we want it? Now!”
This wasn’t a protest on public property. These flight attendants crashed a publicity event and distracted from the airline’s message that it was elevating the business class experience to attract premium customer revenue.
New United Airlines Business Class Row 1
New United Airlines Business Class Row 1
And there are consequences. Aviation watchdog JonNYC confirms the removal from duty pending investigation.
***reportedly** (100% unconfirmed) "Reportedly the FA protestors have been removed from service pending investigations"
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) May 14, 2025 at 12:03 PM
pretty confirmed
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) May 14, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Flight attendants need a new contract. They’ve been promised one, and they can reasonably expect to be paid similarly to Delta, American, and Southwest cabin crew. The length of time it’s taken to get to one is a function first of the pandemic (it made no sense to negotiate a concessionary contract then, far better to wait it out) and the union’s negotiating strategy (to assist American Airlines flight attendants in their negotiations, finalize their deal first to have a higher baseline to negotiate from).
Of course waiting has had consequences – a change in administration that makes the threat of a strike less credible, a more uncertain economic environment. The union fired its negotiating team six months ago and regrouped on strategy.
Hopefully flight attendants will see a new contract soon. They’ve seen the value of their wages eroded by inflation. Hopefully the airline will have labor peace and be able to deliver on the product they’re promising to customers. And hopefully passengers won’t wind up in the middle of an unpleasant dispute.
*incoming* There gonna be a lot of happy right-wingers here… incoming!!
Just imagine what the customer experience must be on a United flight with such animus and anger.
“No soup for you!”
Those FA who display animus to the customer are displaying unprofessional conduct and should be suspended. You don’t accept unprofessional conduct from a CPA or MD. Sometimes, that results in a lifetime ban.
This was organized by the AFA and could be the start of many to come. Stay tuned
@derek — Yet another strawman. No animus towards customers here. This was flight attendants protesting management. Quite different from what you suggested.
Airlines do whatever they want to their FA’s including not agreeing to new contracts and giving raises.
The moment any employees voice their frustrations, done!
Just pathetic, petty and ridiculous.
Good. Get rid of them. They could be a security threat onboard.
They did not commit a crime!!!!! They should not be suspended either.
I’m an AA loyalist, but feel Kirby and his team have shown the most impactful & positive leadership decisions of any US airline. In a business where every CEO gets $25mln….whether your stock is up 100% or you retire tons of wide-bodies and cripple your expansion….UA has become the leader in taking risks and hitting it big.
But it will be very hard to keep that mojo if FAs start to revolt. They can tour all the caviar they want, but if FAs see customers as enemies by association all the work they’ve done can be unraveled very quickly.
As I’m sure Tim D will collaborate, part of Delta winning formula is getting employees on the same side as management. United has the financial metrics and bandwith to do that. Unless the union is being completely unreasonable…. management should get this done. Beating the union into submission shouldn’t be looked at as an accomplishment.
I think they should be forced to eat united catering for a month as punishment
@1990. “They’ll find out! They’ll find out! They’ll find out!” “That’s a red line”. Where’s your boy Hakeem J. when you need him?
Plain and simple, AFA and its leadership has failed the UA flight attendants. UA, like any big company has taken advantage of AFAs and the UA Membership weakness and miscalculations.
@1990, Here’s something for you. Inflation is at a 3 yr low. Job reports are better than expected hmmmm. Democrats haven’t been labors friend for a long time. I was sent back to work by Mr Clinton. How’s that for right wing crazy?
@Shaun, you sir are right on!
They deserve to be fired, plain and simple.
I’m all for FAs receiving a fair contract but the path towards a solution does not include damaging their employers business or promotional events.
@Coffee Please — Bah! Oh please; not counting on Schumer for this, either.
@Pilot93434 — ‘In this economy?’ I’d very much for us all to be ‘thriving,’ but the data shows otherwise, unless you’re the President or one of His grifters and oligarchs (even then). For nearly everyone else, it ain’t looking too good (small businesses, farmers, etc., all that self-imposed, completely unnecessary ‘uncertainty’). So, when the supply shortages from the tariffs begin (soon enough) and prices skyrocket, I’ll remind you of your comments here. Gravity still exists.
Wisdom and restraint are helpful in negotiations. Yes FA’s you need a new contract but the strategy has been missing. The pilots sent their message in 2022 by turning their backs to Kirby. Be smart and succeed. You got this.
Bye Felicia.
@1990. You have a sense of humor. I like that.
@Coffee Please — It’s kind of necessary, in life, I think. Self-deprecating may be my personal favorite. I’ll happily ‘talk shop,’ but if anyone just wants to call me some silly names instead, I’m always down to clown. And my only ‘vice’ is caffeine, so yes, coffee (and tea) please, no milk or sugar.
Year over year CPI inflation is at a 4 year low, last being lower in February 2021. I would say that the USA has not been thriving for quite a while. The stock market has done well lately and has almost clawed back all of the losses due to widespread fears of tariffs. I don’t think Main Street has been doing great since maybe 1999 of the Clinton regime, before the dot com bust. I can understand the United flight attendants being upset due to not getting raises by way of amendments to their contract. The contract as it is without pay increase amendments, is still intact. The 12% excess inflation over 2% a year has to hurt. At the end of August the flight attendants will have gone 5 years without a raise unless they were still getting yearly step raises. I wonder what percentage have not got any raises during that time. The contract is online.
deport them to el Salvador like all lefties deserve.
@1990
The new cuckoo on here trying to outdo Tim Dunn in mental derangement… Good grief.
How about just one primary post and one rebuttal per user per article? Please.
@Marco — You do you. Ignore or engage. Got anything ‘on substance’ (this post was about United), or will it only be ad hominems against me and others? Either way, I’m always up for whatever. Tim can speak for himself, but I think he handles his own just fine.