United Airlines Flight Attendants Claim Carrier Asking For Unprecedented Concessions

Image: United plane waiting for guests to board (photo by Eric Bowman)
Image: United plane waiting for guests to board (photo by Eric Bowman)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 11:35 AM ET, Mon December 9, 2024

The stalemate between United Airlines flight attendants and the carrier appears to be getting more contentious.

This is unless it is part of carefully constructed negotiating ploys on both sides, but these things can be devious at times.

The union representing the flight attendants has accused the airline of asking for unprecedented concessions. The accusations involved pay, night pay and misleading information, the union claims. The union says the airline is trying to make its offer look better.

The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) told its members in a rare weekend memo that the demands for concessions being made by United are “unheard of."

"Recently, management set up a website containing misleading information about negotiations, including dramatically inflating the number of hours Flight Attendants fly," the statment said. "As a pointer to management, if you have to assume a Flight Attendant flies 125 hours every month to make your proposals look good, perhaps you need to go back to the drawing board. In addition to being factually incorrect, it attempts to directly negotiate with individual Flight Attendants rather than engage in their legal obligation to negotiate with our union.”

A decision to use federal negotiators will not happen until early next year.

As usual, this has come down to pay. The union has asked for a 28 percent immediate increase, and then another four percent per year of the contract.

Flight attendants have already authorized a strike.


For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.

Topics From This Article to Explore

Related Videos

Discover the Essence of Extraordinary Travel with Villas of Distinction

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
      Rich Thomaselli

      Rich Thomaselli

      Associate Writer

      Editor Associate Writer true 9281 14744 Rich Thomaselli has written for TravelPulse since 2014 and has been a professional journalist for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the New York Times and New York Yankees publications. He is an 11-time writ

      Airlines and Airports Suppliers

      Become A Travel Expert

      Upcoming Webinar
      2025 Travel Trends – How to Maximize Your SalesTuesday, December 17, 2024
      2:00pm Eastern
      Join us for a dynamic session where we’ll dive into the key travel trends shaping the industry in...
      Upcoming Webinar
      This is Windstar CruisesWednesday, December 18, 2024 2:00pm EasternLearn about all things Windstar and end the year with the tools to kick off an incredible 2025....
      Upcoming Webinar
      Kensington 2025 Travel Trends ReportFriday, December 20, 2024
      2:00pm Eastern
      Kensington is thrilled to announce that our 2025 Travel Trends Report is finally here – and we can’t...
      Upcoming Webinar
      2025 Travel Trends – How to Maximize Your SalesTuesday, December 17, 2024
      2:00pm Eastern
      Join us for a dynamic session where we’ll dive into the key travel trends shaping the industry in...
      Upcoming Webinar
      This is Windstar CruisesWednesday, December 18, 2024 2:00pm EasternLearn about all things Windstar and end the year with the tools to kick off an incredible 2025....
      Upcoming Webinar
      Kensington 2025 Travel Trends ReportFriday, December 20, 2024
      2:00pm Eastern
      Kensington is thrilled to announce that our 2025 Travel Trends Report is finally here – and we can’t...

      Get To Know Us Better

      Agent At Home

      Helping leisure selling travel agents successfully manage their at-home business.

      Subscribe For Free

      Agent Specialization: Group Travel

      Laurence Pinckney

      Laurence Pinckney

      CEO of Zenbiz Travel, LLC

      About Me
      Agent At Home

      Helping leisure selling travel agents successfully manage their at-home business.

      Subscribe For Free

      Agent Specialization: Group Travel

      Laurence Pinckney

      Laurence Pinckney

      CEO of Zenbiz Travel, LLC

      About Me