Delta Pilots Approve Contract Raising Pay by 34%

Pilots astatine Delta Air Lines approved a caller declaration that would summation wages 34 percent by 2026 and marque quality-of-life improvements, raising the modular for declaration negotiations underway astatine different ample U.S. airlines.

Voting was conducted during the period of February and the results were announced connected Wednesday, with 78 percent of pilots approving the caller contract, according to the national that represents them, the Delta Master Executive Council. The raises are valued astatine much than $7 cardinal implicit 4 years, the national said.

The agreement’s beardown wage provisions are a reflection of a captious shortage of pilots successful the United States and the beardown betterment successful request for aerial travel. Airlines person been hiring thousands of pilots since bookings began picking up successful 2021 aft the pandemic gutted question successful aboriginal 2020. Many airlines offered aboriginal retirements and buyout packages to pilots and different employees during the tallness of the pandemic, reasoning request would retrieve slowly. They were near abbreviated staffed erstwhile concern picked up overmuch much quickly.

“This industry-leading declaration is the nonstop effect of the Delta pilots’ unity and resolve,” said Capt. Darren Hartmann, the president of the union. “Despite a two-year hold successful negotiations owed to Covid, we ne'er mislaid show of our extremity to get important across-the-board enhancements to our Pilot Working Agreement.”

The airline’s 15,000 pilots besides overwhelmingly approved a abstracted statement intended to support the fig of the high-paying positions piloting planetary flights. That agreement, approved by 90 percent of those who voted, would necessitate Delta to adhd caller planetary flying jobs whenever it sells much flights operated by overseas airlines that it has partnerships with.

The caller declaration is wide expected to power aviator negotiations astatine American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines.

About 96 percent of Delta’s eligible pilots formed a ballot. The declaration volition instrumentality effect connected Thursday and tally done 2026.