Flight attendants set for 32% average pay rise

Alaska Airlines’ flight attendants are set for an average pay increase of 32% as part of a new three-year tentative labor agreement with the airline, a union representing the employees said.

The agreement, yet to be ratified by the Associate of Flight Attendants union members, is also the first to make boarding pay legally binding for unionized flight attendants, the union said on Tuesday.

Flight attendants in the US are usually paid an hourly rate after the flight cabin doors close and it does not include the time taken to onboard passengers.

“With boarding pay, we achieve significant pay increases,” the union said.

Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The new three-year tentative contract comes at a time when pilots and flight attendants across U.S. airlines have been demanding better pay and benefits after the pandemic brought the industry to a standstill and the subsequent pent-up travel demand led to record profits for airlines.