Pilots Are Frustrated With Airlines, Too, and Are Seeking Better Pay and Schedules

Capt.

Jason Ambrosi,

chairman of the union that represents Delta’s pilots, said the company offered an underwhelming pay proposal. “Our pilots have essentially had enough,” he said.

Meanwhile, airlines say that negotiations remain on track and that they believe they can come to agreements.

Fraught labor relations and rancorous bargaining are nothing new for the airline industry, and negotiations that take place every few years are often marked by strong rhetoric before deals are reached.

There are also new dynamics. The Covid-19 pandemic upended the industry just as talks between some airlines and pilot groups were getting under way, putting discussions on hold. Now, as travel demand surges back to prepandemic levels, several airlines are contending simultaneously with years of pent-up frustration among pilots and other labor groups.

Unions are closely watching what rivals are doing, and provisions to ensure that another carrier doesn’t offer a better deal have become common, said

Jerry Glass,

president of consulting firm F&H Solutions Group and a longtime negotiator for airline management and other industries. Competition for workers, including pilots, has grown fierce, and unions are leaning heavily on airlines to make changes that will improve their quality of life.

“Pilots are looking for the perfect deal,” Mr. Glass said.

U.S. labor laws make airline strikes difficult and rare—the last time U.S. passenger airline pilots went on strike was at

Spirit Airlines Inc.

in 2010. It is far from inevitable that Delta pilots will reach that point, and it could take months for the process to play out. The National Mediation Board would first have to agree that talks have reached an impasse, and would then offer both sides a chance to arbitrate their dispute. If either refused, there would be a 30-day cooling off period.

Alaska Air Group Inc.’s

pilots had also voted earlier this year to authorize a potential strike, but they came to terms months later.

Airlines have started making money again after losing billions of dollars during the pandemic, and they are striving to bring on thousands of new pilots—shattering previous yearly hiring records—in an effort to meet burgeoning travel demand.

Smaller regional airlines have negotiated huge wage increases to attract and retain pilots after bigger airlines plundered their workforces. Airlines such as

JetBlue Airways Corp.

have warned that pilot turnover has been higher than normal. Some airline executives say the industry faces a shortfall that could last years.

Given the industry’s optimism about travel demand, Mr. Ambrosi said, “The talk of ‘we’re just getting out of a pandemic, we can’t afford [pay increases]’ is not something our members are going to tolerate.”

Delta said the vote authorizing a strike was an effort by the union to gain leverage in negotiations, which continue to progress, and won’t affect the airline’s operation.

The deal that United Airlines pilots voted down by a big margin Tuesday would have included pay raises of more than 14.5% over 18 months, but the union said it fell short.

The union leaders originally backed the agreement, but the two sides had resumed negotiations as it became clear that the agreement was faltering amid pushback from pilots unhappy with the proposed pay raises and certain work rules. Capt. Mike Hamilton, who leads United’s pilots union, said Tuesday that United has dragged its feet.

A United spokesman said the airline is already working with the union on a new agreement that it expects will include improved pay rates.

In October, Alaska Air became the first major carrier to reach a deal with its pilots, agreeing to an initial pay increase of up to 23%. The airline’s highest-paid pilots will make $306 an hour, up from $266.29, with additional increases in later years.

Pay isn’t the only consideration. Pilots say they have worked huge amounts of overtime and frequently seen their schedules upended at the last minute, byproducts of what they have argued were overly ambitious summer flying plans that airlines didn’t have the manpower to staff. Some say they want better schedules and more protections for time off, among other changes.

Talks between American Airlines and its pilots union are also on the rocks after union leaders shot down a proposal that would have boosted pay by 12% initially, with another raise of 5% after a year and 2% after two years. That had been an improvement over American’s initial offer of raises totaling 17%.

Union officials said that the latest proposed agreement didn’t adequately address pilots’ concerns about quality of life and unreliable schedules.

American had no comment. 

Those issues can be among the thorniest to resolve. Capt.

Casey Murray,

president of the union that represents

Southwest Airlines Co.

pilots, said a deal may be a year away. A federal mediator is overseeing talks with the airline, but they haven’t yet broached complex scheduling issues. Southwest said it is pleased with the progress so far.

Capt.

Will McQuillen,

chairman of Alaska’s pilot union, said schedule flexibility was an important element in its discussions, and the carrier recognized that good work-life balance is crucial to attracting and retaining pilots. Alaska’s pilots picketed last spring as bargaining heated up. “We were a little bit surprised it took this amount of pressure,” he said.

Shane Tackett,

Alaska’s chief financial officer, said the airline was “thrilled to be the first mainline carrier to secure a pilot contract.” 

Write to Alison Sider at [email protected]

Capt.

Jason Ambrosi,

chairman of the union that represents Delta’s pilots, said the company offered an underwhelming pay proposal. “Our pilots have essentially had enough,” he said.

Meanwhile, airlines say that negotiations remain on track and that they believe they can come to agreements.

Fraught labor relations and rancorous bargaining are nothing new for the airline industry, and negotiations that take place every few years are often marked by strong rhetoric before deals are reached.

There are also new dynamics. The Covid-19 pandemic upended the industry just as talks between some airlines and pilot groups were getting under way, putting discussions on hold. Now, as travel demand surges back to prepandemic levels, several airlines are contending simultaneously with years of pent-up frustration among pilots and other labor groups.

Unions are closely watching what rivals are doing, and provisions to ensure that another carrier doesn’t offer a better deal have become common, said

Jerry Glass,

president of consulting firm F&H Solutions Group and a longtime negotiator for airline management and other industries. Competition for workers, including pilots, has grown fierce, and unions are leaning heavily on airlines to make changes that will improve their quality of life.

“Pilots are looking for the perfect deal,” Mr. Glass said.

U.S. labor laws make airline strikes difficult and rare—the last time U.S. passenger airline pilots went on strike was at

Spirit Airlines Inc.

in 2010. It is far from inevitable that Delta pilots will reach that point, and it could take months for the process to play out. The National Mediation Board would first have to agree that talks have reached an impasse, and would then offer both sides a chance to arbitrate their dispute. If either refused, there would be a 30-day cooling off period.

Alaska Air Group Inc.’s

pilots had also voted earlier this year to authorize a potential strike, but they came to terms months later.

Airlines have started making money again after losing billions of dollars during the pandemic, and they are striving to bring on thousands of new pilots—shattering previous yearly hiring records—in an effort to meet burgeoning travel demand.

Smaller regional airlines have negotiated huge wage increases to attract and retain pilots after bigger airlines plundered their workforces. Airlines such as

JetBlue Airways Corp.

have warned that pilot turnover has been higher than normal. Some airline executives say the industry faces a shortfall that could last years.

Given the industry’s optimism about travel demand, Mr. Ambrosi said, “The talk of ‘we’re just getting out of a pandemic, we can’t afford [pay increases]’ is not something our members are going to tolerate.”

Delta said the vote authorizing a strike was an effort by the union to gain leverage in negotiations, which continue to progress, and won’t affect the airline’s operation.

The deal that United Airlines pilots voted down by a big margin Tuesday would have included pay raises of more than 14.5% over 18 months, but the union said it fell short.

The union leaders originally backed the agreement, but the two sides had resumed negotiations as it became clear that the agreement was faltering amid pushback from pilots unhappy with the proposed pay raises and certain work rules. Capt. Mike Hamilton, who leads United’s pilots union, said Tuesday that United has dragged its feet.

A United spokesman said the airline is already working with the union on a new agreement that it expects will include improved pay rates.

In October, Alaska Air became the first major carrier to reach a deal with its pilots, agreeing to an initial pay increase of up to 23%. The airline’s highest-paid pilots will make $306 an hour, up from $266.29, with additional increases in later years.

Pay isn’t the only consideration. Pilots say they have worked huge amounts of overtime and frequently seen their schedules upended at the last minute, byproducts of what they have argued were overly ambitious summer flying plans that airlines didn’t have the manpower to staff. Some say they want better schedules and more protections for time off, among other changes.

Talks between American Airlines and its pilots union are also on the rocks after union leaders shot down a proposal that would have boosted pay by 12% initially, with another raise of 5% after a year and 2% after two years. That had been an improvement over American’s initial offer of raises totaling 17%.

Union officials said that the latest proposed agreement didn’t adequately address pilots’ concerns about quality of life and unreliable schedules.

American had no comment. 

Those issues can be among the thorniest to resolve. Capt.

Casey Murray,

president of the union that represents

Southwest Airlines Co.

pilots, said a deal may be a year away. A federal mediator is overseeing talks with the airline, but they haven’t yet broached complex scheduling issues. Southwest said it is pleased with the progress so far.

Capt.

Will McQuillen,

chairman of Alaska’s pilot union, said schedule flexibility was an important element in its discussions, and the carrier recognized that good work-life balance is crucial to attracting and retaining pilots. Alaska’s pilots picketed last spring as bargaining heated up. “We were a little bit surprised it took this amount of pressure,” he said.

Shane Tackett,

Alaska’s chief financial officer, said the airline was “thrilled to be the first mainline carrier to secure a pilot contract.” 

Write to Alison Sider at [email protected]