United Airlines, Pilots Union Strike a Deal, Averting Headaches For Travelers

United Airlines and the union representing its pilots reached an agreement in principle on Saturday that includes pay increases of up to 40% and lets pilots better control their schedules.

The union’s more than 16,000 members must ratify the deal, which is worth roughly $10 billion, the union said in a news release.

The deal gives pilots guaranteed time off, said Michael Wilson, a United pilot and a spokesperson for the pilots union. Prior to Saturday’s agreement, the airline could ask pilots to work on days off or come in from a vacation with little notice, he said.

“Before this, the running joke was, ‘when is a day off not a day off? When you work for United,’” Wilson said. 

Captains have even less control over their schedules than more junior-level pilots, he added. The uncertainty makes pilots reluctant to accept career-advancing promotions.

"It started to impact the ability of the airlines to staff those positions," Wilson said.

The new agreement “incentivizes pilots to take those positions,” he said.

The Union is especially concerned about time off as United pushes its “United Next” growth plan, which Wilson called “ambitious and aggressive.”

United Next involves replacing the airline's aging fleet, hiring more workers and increasing the number of flyers taking United flights.

Under Saturday's tentative contract, members will get raises between 34.5% and 40.2% over four years and improved benefits, the union said in a news release.

“The four-year agreement, once ratified, will deliver a meaningful pay raise and quality of life improvements for our pilots while putting the airline on track to achieve the incredible potential of our United Next strategy,” United CEO Scott Kirby said a statement on his LinkedIn page.

When asked for comment, a United spokesperson simply emailed Kirby's statement to The Messenger.

In November, pilots overwhelmingly rejected a deal that would have included a 15% percentage pay increase over 18 months.

At the time, the union said it fell well short of what pilots deserved.

United is just the latest airline to agree to substantial pay raises for pilots.

Delta Airlines pilots approved a contract in March that included a 34% pay raise for pilots over four years and in May American Airlines pilots approved a contract that included a 40% pay raise for pilots over four years.

Wilson anticipates that the United pilots union will accept the deal. He expects the process to conclude at the beginning of October.