Delta Air Lines pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) have ratified a new working agreement with the company.

Beginning with the agreement, which runs through 2026, pilots will receive a 34% cumulative wage increase. It also includes a reduction in health insurance premiums, better vacation conditions and improvements in holiday pay, among others.

Seventy-eight percent of pilots voted in favour of the contract, the union said in a press release. The decision could raise expectations at other major airlines in the United States for further negotiations.

«I want to thank both negotiating teams and the National Mediation Board for their efforts in reaching this agreement that recognizes our pilots’ contributions to Delta», said John Laughter, the airline’s Chief of Operations. «From the beginning of the negotiations process, we set out to deliver the industry’s best pilot contract», Laughter added.

Cumulative rises between 2023 and 2027

According to ALPA, the new agreement includes more than 7 billion dollars in cumulative increases between 2023 and 2027. Four years from now, pilot representatives will be able to renegotiate the agreement. Increases will be based on each pilot’s experience and the type of aircraft they are flying.

«Despite a two-year delay in negotiations due to the pandemic, we never lost sight of our goal to obtain significant across-the-board enhancements to our pilot working agreement», said Darren Hartmann, Airbus A320 Captain at Delta Air Lines. «This contract recognizes the Delta pilots’ substantial contribution to our company’s success», he added.

In addition, the union said 90% of pilots voted in favour of a letter of agreement that provides job protections for employees against international flying by the company’s partners.

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