Delta agrees to a 34% pay increase for pilots with other major airlines ready to follow suit

Delta Air Lines pilots easily approved a new contract that will increase their pay by more than 30 percent over four years and will likely lead to similar deals covering union pilots at other major US airlines.

The Air Line Pilots Association said 78 percent of Delta’s 15,000 pilots voted in favor of the contract, which will generate a cumulative pay increase of $7 billion.

Delta pilots currently earn between $66,853.80 per year and $257,657.40 per year, according to Aviationinterviews.com. The salary increase can increase salaries to between $89,584.10 and $345,260.92.

The ratification comes after pilot pickets last summer and about six months after Delta pilots voted to authorize a strike.

“This industry-leading contract is the direct result of the drive and determination of Delta pilots,” said Darren Hartmann, pilot and union official.

A Delta Air Lines spokesperson was not immediately available to answer how the increases will affect customers and ticket prices. During negotiations in December, they declined to elaborate on the potential airfare increase.

Delta pilots currently earn between $66,853.80 per year and $257,657.40 per year, according to Aviationinterviews.com. The salary increase can increase salaries between $89,584.10 and $345,260.92

Smaller airlines are facing a shortage of pilots as major carriers recruit from their ranks.

While the biggest airlines say they have enough pilots, the shortage has given unions leverage to negotiate big pay rises.

John Laughter, the Atlanta-based airline’s chief operating officer, said the contract “recognizes the contributions of our pilots to Delta.” He said the airline was aiming to reach an agreement that would keep Delta as a top destination for aviation employees.

The contract goes into effect Thursday and runs through 2026, when it can be changed; Under federal law, union contracts in the airline industry do not expire.

American Airlines claimed that its competitor’s pay raise deal financially affects the entire airline industry, according to Reuters.

In June, off-duty Delta Air Lines pilots began demanding a pay raise and better hours amid thousands of flight cancellations. Several protested at LAX, JFK and the Atlanta airport.

At the time, the Air Line Pilots Association claimed nearly 14,000 members were working longer hours even as airlines canceled thousands of trips.

Pilots have complained that understaffed airlines are asking them to work too many flights, and more pilots are reporting fatigue.

The last time Delta pilots negotiated for a new contract was in 2016, according to Jason Ambrosi, a Delta pilot and union official.

The contract goes into effect Thursday and runs through 2026, when it can be changed; Under federal law, union contracts in the airline industry do not expire. In the photo: Pilots protesting in June at JFK

A Delta Air Lines spokesperson was not immediately available to answer how the increases will affect customers and ticket prices.

While it’s unclear whether the increases will boost airfare prices, renewed demand for travel last year pushed up the average holiday ticket price.

Thanksgiving flights would cost an average of $468 this year, 50 percent more than last year and 30 percent more than in 2019.

Holiday flights turned out to be more expensive at an average of $574, 20 percent more than last year and 50 percent more than before the pandemic.

The price hike came as airlines reported strong fiscal quarters and revenue after taking in $54 billion in taxpayer money to stay afloat during the pandemic.

Delta Airlines revealed that it made a whopping $695 million profit in the third quarter of last year despite having one of the toughest summer travel seasons ever, as Americans traveled near pre-pandemic levels.