United Airlines flight attendants have finally ratified a new contract, ending a long and often bitter labor battle with management.
United Airlines Flight Attendants Ratify New Contract With Big Raises, Retro Pay
United Airlines flight attendants have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, delivering long-awaited raises, retro pay, boarding pay, sit pay, and quality-of-life improvements after years of negotiations.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA announced that 88.85% of eligible United flight attendants participated in the vote, with 82% voting in favor of ratification.
That is a decisive margin and a sharp reversal from last year, when United flight attendants rejected a prior tentative agreement.
The new contract includes an average base pay increase of 31%, boarding pay, sit pay, and a $741 million retro pay package. Top-of-scale United flight attendants will eventually earn more than $100 per hour.
That is a big number, though it should be understood in context. Flight attendants are not paid that hourly rate from the moment they arrive at the airport until the moment they walk out of the terminal after landing. A lot of airline work has historically been unpaid or underpaid, including time spent boarding, sitting around between segments, and dealing with irregular operations.
This contract begins to address some of that.
A Long Time Coming For United Flight Attendants
United flight attendants have been without a new contract for years, and that delay became increasingly hard to justify as United’s financial performance improved and other work groups across the industry secured new deals.
The union framed the agreement as a major win:
This agreement delivers well-overdue Base Pay raises, with an average increase of 31%, plus added value in the form of Boarding Pay, Sit Pay, and a $741 million payout in Retro Pay.
The agreement also includes quality-of-life “protections” involving hotels, scheduling, reserve rules, redeye flying, and electronic notifications. Pay is always the headline, but for years flight attendants have told me they care even more deeply about how they are scheduled, where they sleep, how long they sit around unpaid, and how much control they have over their lives.
United flight attendants rejected an earlier tentative agreement in 2025, with 71% voting no. This time, 82% voted yes. That tells me not everyone loved the deal, but enough flight attendants decided it was time to take the money and move on.
In this time of great inflation, can you blame them?
United’s Labor Cost Advantage Narrows
For United, this contract removes a major labor headache, but it also narrows one of the carrier’s financial advantages.
United has been on a tear in recent years, increasingly positioning itself closer to Delta than American in both financial performance and customer perception. But part of United’s advantage has been that some labor groups were still operating under older, cheaper contracts.
That advantage is now reduced. Although United has already factored in a $500 million in one-time payment for flight attendants backpay, it appears that another $241 million will come out of this year’s margins.
United will pay higher hourly rates, boarding pay, sit pay, and a massive retro pay package. Labor peace is not free!
Better Service Ahead?
Setting the oil wildcard side, United has been performing well and settling this contract may remove some tension between frontline workers and management. I don’t expect better service onboard overnight, but the service was already pretty darn good considering these flight attendants had worked for five years without any increase in pay.
I am happy for United flight attendants. Many have been waiting a long time for this, and the retro pay alone will be a huge deal for thousands of employees. I do think that higher pay should come with higher expectations.
Professionalism, consistency, and pride in the product are so important in building loyalty. United has invested heavily in aircraft interiors, lounges, technology, premium seating, and onboard service. A better-compensated flight attendant group should help support that premium push…there is no excuse now.
Speaking of the new contract, United CEO Scott Kirby said:
“United flight attendants are the face of the airline – the experience they give our customers when they board an airplane is the most impactful interaction in how customers feel about United. We are in the people business and lucky to have the best flight attendants in the world to represent our airline! I am very happy that they now have the industry-leading contract that they deserve.”
He’s exactly right that “the experience they give our customers when they board an airplane is the most impactful interaction in how customers feel about United.”
CONCLUSION
United flight attendants have ratified a new contract by a wide margin, securing an average 31% base pay increase, boarding pay, sit pay, and $741 million in retro pay.
This is a major win for United flight attendants and a long-overdue reset after years of negotiations. It also means United’s labor costs are going up, narrowing one of the carrier’s financial advantages.
I am glad flight attendants are getting paid. I also hope this produces a better experience for passengers. United wants to be viewed as a leading carrier of the world. Paying flight attendants more is part of that equation but now must come delivering consistently better service.
top image: @scottkirby / Instagram
Glad they’re getting paid more. They deserve it.
You say this agreement narrows one of the airlines financial advantages. I say it completely erases a major financial advantage United has had for years, but I am happy United FA’s are finally getting the raise they so rightfully deserve and quality of life improvements.
However I don’t know if this new deal is going to translate into improved service onboard the aircraft. You will always have people who will only do the absolute bare minimum and nothing more. They aren’t necessarily bad FA’s but they aren’t exceptionally good either, I don’t know if having a new contract changes that.
What a backhanded compliment. (Basically, I don’t want spit in my PDB… but, but… profits! Wont anyone please think of the shareholders!)
Doing the bare minimum actually does make you a bad flight attendant. Bare minimum is sufficient if you’re stocking shelves at Walmart. It’s not enough for customer service jobs.
@proschwit: but UA says it has factored this backpay into its forecasts for the last several quarters. As I mentioned, there will be a one-time hit of about $240 million, but I think (hope?) that UA has been preparing for this and it won’t kill earnings.
I believe my work group, mechanics, are the last group at UA without a contract. Over 10k members. Doesn’t get much coverage but they also voted down their previous TA by a wide margin in mid 2024 and have been negotiating for two years now. New TA is supposedly nearing the finish line
From what I hear, it will be done soon.
Finally, after six long years without a pay raise. Better late than never!
Looking forward to the 30% better service to match the pay increase lol
As A former UAL F/A, I say hooray! Especially u for boarding pay, which is the biggest victory to me. (well, yeah the $$ is nice too) Boarding is usually the most stressful time for passengers, and they let you know it. Can you believe putting up with all their nonsense and not getting paid for it? What about delays on board, long wait times on the runway etc. It used to be “wheels up, wheels down” for paid time, which leaves a great deal of work to be off the clock. I truly can’t think of another job where so much labor is done for free!