The largest pilots union has approved a contract that would boost the pay of pilots at United Airlines by more than 14% over the next 18 months, potentially clearing the way for similar wage hikes throughout the industry.
The protest, which the union said drew up to 1,300 Southwest Airlines pilots, was the latest example of airline workers trying to put pressure on companies by taking their demands for higher pay directly to the flying public.
Shareholders of Miramar, Florida-based Spirit are scheduled to vote June 30 on a bid from Frontier Airlines, and JetBlue is trying to convince investors to scuttle the agreement and drive Spirit into JetBlue’s arms.
While most carriers are enjoying bumper sales as customers flood back following the lifting of COVID curbs, taking leisure trips and catching up with friends and family, there are doubts about how long the surge will continue as high fuel prices push airlines to hike fares.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said his department could take enforcement action against airlines that fail to meet consumer-protection standards, although he thinks that won’t be necessary.
By midmorning in the eastern United States, airlines had scrubbed more than 1,000 flights after canceling more than 1,700 on Thursday, according to tracking service FlightAware.
Airlines are struggling with shortages of workers, especially pilots, that are hurting their ability to operate all their planned flights.
JetBlue said Monday that it will now provide a $350 million reverse break-up payable to Spirit if a deal between the two isn’t completed for antitrust reasons.
U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,800 flights from Thursday through Monday, or about 2% of their schedules, according to tracking service FlightAware.
Analysts say a merger of any of the two carriers could create an airline with the scale and routes to more effectively compete with the nation’s four largest air carriers.
The chief of the Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday that his agency has quadrupled the number of employees who could bolster screening operations at airports that become too crowded this summer.
Air traffic to Florida picked up more quickly during the pandemic than many other places, and airlines have scheduled even more flights for this summer. That is raising concern about the potential for massive disruptions that could ripple far beyond the state’s borders.
The board of Spirit Airlines said it would continue to pursue a merger with Frontier Airlines.
After a lousy first quarter, Airlines expect to be profitable as Americans return to travel in the biggest numbers since the start of the pandemic.
The judge’s decision freed airlines, airports and mass transit systems to make their own decisions about mask requirements, resulting in a mix of responses.
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, which is currently negotiating with the airline for a new contract, said the number of pilots asking to be relieved from a flight assignment because of fatigue jumped 330% in March compared with the same month in pre-pandemic years.
JetBlue Airways has offered to buy Spirit Airlines for about $3.6 billion and break up a plan for Spirit to merge with rival budget carrier Frontier Airlines.
Air travel in the United States improved Monday after a rocky weekend that left thousands of flyers stranded by thunderstorms in Florida, technology problems at the busiest domestic airline and labor problems at another carrier.
It’s the first major change in Southwest’s fare structure in 15 years. Airline officials said the changes announced Thursday will take effect in May or June.
In making their case, executives cited the “persistent and steady decline” of hospitalizations and death rates related to the coronavirus.
