American Airlines and pilots reach preliminary working agreement

American airlines and its pilots reached a prior agreement for a new four-year contract after months of tense negotiations, a milestone for the country’s largest carrier.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but are expected to include significant increases as the industry faces a shortage of pilots and Airmen seek better pay after the Covid-19 pandemic put new hires on hold. contracts for years. Pilots also lobbied for quality-of-life improvements, such as better planning.

The airline was ready to offer cumulative increases of 40% under a four-year contract, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in March. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in March. The airline had said that including 401(k) contributions, a narrow-body senior captain would earn $475,000 a year at the top of the ladder.

The new deal will likely take several weeks to finalize. The union said it must approve the wording of the contract before sending it to the roughly 15,000 American pilots for a ratification vote.

“We are delighted to have reached an agreement in principle on a new four-year contract with the Allied Pilots Association (APA) which offers our pilots salary and profit sharing that matches the top of the industry with a better quality of life provisions unique to American pilots,” a U.S. spokeswoman said in a statement.

Negotiations in the industry have been tense. American pilots recently authorized the union to call a strike if an agreement could not be reached.

Drivers at United Airlines, South West Airlines And fedex are still in negotiation. Airmen from across the industry have been picketing airports across the country in recent years. They demanded pay rises and better hours, among other improvements, as they faced what they described as grueling hours during the rocky rebound in travel and the rising cost of living with no increase since. years.

Delta AirlinesThe pilots approved a new collective agreement with 34% increases over four years in March. Delta was the first of the major US carriers to strike a deal.