United Airlines and flight attendants reached a tentative deal with $740 million in bonuses

2026-04-03 17:35:53

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United Airlines and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA reached a tentative five-year labor agreement on March 26 that would provide the carrier’s 30,000 flight attendants their first pay increases since 2020, including a $740 million signing bonus pool and top wages of $100 per hour by the contract’s end.

Beyond base pay, the contract also covers compensation during the boarding process, additional pay when lengthy gaps occur between flights, and limits on how overnight flying can be scheduled, according to CNBC. United said the agreement would make its flight attendants the highest-paid in the industry.

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The tentative deal requires initial sign-off from the AFA’s Master Executive Council — a body of 14 local union presidents — which was scheduled to convene April 1-2. Full contract details would then be shared with the broader membership on April 3, with a ratification vote opening April 23 and closing May 12, the union said. If members approve the contract, updated pay and boarding compensation would take effect May 31.

Ratification would close out the wave of post-pandemic contract negotiations at major U.S. carriers, leaving no outstanding cabin crew deals among the big airlines, CNBC reported.

The agreement comes after a lengthy negotiating process. United flight attendants have been in contract talks since 2021, with their last pay raise dating to 2020. United’s cabin crew had previously rejected a proposed deal in July 2025, with 71% of members voting against an agreement that offered an immediate average wage increase of 26.9% and total cumulative raises of up to 45.6% over five years. Following that rejection, the union surveyed its membership to identify outstanding priorities before returning to the table.

The AFA said the new agreement was reached during a mediated session in Washington, D.C., with the National Mediation Board involved in the process.

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