DALLAS (AP) — Pilots at Southwest Airlines have overwhelmingly approved a new contract that will raise their pay rates by nearly 50% by 2028, becoming the last group of pilots at the nation’s four biggest airlines to score huge raises.
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said Monday that the agreement covering pay and other issues for about 11,000 pilots was ratified by a 93% to 7% margin.
Airline labor groups – and pilots in particular – have succeeded in negotiating pay raises over the past year as most U.S. have returned to solid profitability coming out of the pandemic.
The Southwest agreement followed more than three years of bargaining.
The contract calls for an immediate 29.15% increase in pay rates upon ratification, followed by 4% raises in 2025, 2026, and 2027 and a 3.25% increase in 2028.
Persons:
”, Casey Murray, Adam Carlisle
Organizations:
DALLAS, — Pilots, Southwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, Pilots, Southwest
Locations:
Delta, United