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Delta Air Lines Inc.’s negotiations with its pilots began in 2019 and were later paused because of the pandemic.
Photo:
Charlie Riedel/Associated Press
Delta Air Lines Inc.’s
pilots ratified a new contract that provides 34% pay increases over a four-year agreement, setting a potential bar as other U.S. carriers and their pilots’ unions pursue similar contract negotiations.
Delta said the agreement, which runs through December 2026, would position the airline’s approximately 15,000 pilots to continue leading the industry in total compensation and work-rule improvements. The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents Delta pilots, said 78% of the Atlanta-based carrier’s pilots ratified the agreement.
ALPA said the contract’s pay increases represent more than $7 billion in cumulative increases over the term of the agreement. The union said the deal would also provide improvements to vacation and other benefits.
Airlines and pilot unions have struggled to come to terms on new contracts recently as carriers have rebounded from the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, when government restrictions and travelers’ fears of the virus led to a sharp drop in travel demand. Inflation has raised pilots’ expectations for pay increases, while carriers have come under pressure to keep a lid on costs.
Delta’s negotiations with its pilots began in 2019 and entered federal mediation in 2020, before being paused because of the pandemic.
After the Delta agreement was announced Wednesday,
American Airlines Group Inc.,
which has been negotiating with its own pilots, said it hoped to also reach an agreement soon.
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Appeared in the March 2, 2023, print edition as ‘Pilots Approve Delta Pact With 34% Pay Raises.’
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