On Thursday, September 12th, American Airlines (AA) and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), the union representing the airline’s flight attendants, ratified a new collective bargaining agreement. The contract will go into effect on October 1st this year and will cover roughly 28,000 flight attendants.
Finding middle ground
According to the APFA, 95% of eligible flight attendants
voted on the new contract, and 87% of the voting members approved of it. It adds nearly $4.2 billion in value to their existing agreement.
Photo: APFA
According to CW39, Julie Hedrick, the National President of the APFA, highlighted key points of the contract. Namely, there was a 20.5% pay increase and an annual pay raise of 2.75%, followed by 3% for two years after and 3.5% for the final year.
In addition, for the first time in the airline’s history, flight attendants will now be paid during passenger boarding. This is a huge win for flight attendants, who were only paid once the aircraft doors were closed. Historically, airlines in the US have not paid flight attendants during boarding, but Delta broke the mold in 2022 when it offered 50% extra pay to its nonunionized cabin crews.
American Airlines
and the APFA were at a standstill regarding new contract terms, which nearly led to a
strike by the flight attendants
, which put pressure on the airline to give in to certain demands. It even got the attention of President Joe Biden, who said that a strike “would have been devastating for the industry and consumers.”
The contract also addresses other issues and offers better scheduling, rescheduling, and reserve work rules. Many leaders in Washington DC supported the negotiation process and were crucial in facilitating the deal, including Julie Su, the Acting Secretary of Labor, and Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation Secretary.
A win for flight attendants in the US
Previously, the airline offered an 18% pay hike and 2% annual raises. The flight attendants rejected this and demanded a 33% pay bump and 6% annual raises thereafter. They also referred to the previous offer as one that showed the airline disregarded the contribution made by flight attendants.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The new contract offers industry-leading pay rates and will surely be leveraged by other flight attendant’s unions for their negotiations. It is reminiscent of Southwest Airlines
’ recent contract, which offers a 33% pay rise over five years.
Robert Isom, the Chief Executive Officer of American Airlines, said in a statement:
“It’s an exciting day for American’s nearly 28,000 flight attendants and our entire airline. Reaching an agreement for our flight attendants has been a top priority, and today, we celebrate achieving this important milestone. Both the APFA and company negotiating teams had a shared mission of delivering an agreement our flight attendants have earned, and I greatly appreciate their work and relentless focus.
I want to personally thank APFA President Julie Hedrick for her leadership through these negotiations and in her daily leadership of the industry’s best flight attendants. I also wish to thank Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other partners in the Administration for their support throughout this process. And a special thanks to the American team for their exceptional work in reaching an agreement we’re all proud of.”
Flight attendants at American Airlines hadn’t received raises since 2019 and were unhappy with the conditions and pay provided by the airline. Many entry-level flight attendants were
below the poverty line
, and the new contract should fix these issues.
The contract will also serve as a blueprint and bargaining chip for 
United Airlines
flight attendants, who are in the process of negotiating a new contract with the airline.