JetBlue raises flight attendant pay, union agrees to assist merger with Spirit

JetBlue Airways stated it is going to increase flight attendant pay subsequent yr and supply different bonuses to employees whereas the union representing cabin crews agreed to assist the service’s plan to accumulate finances service Spirit Airlines.

Beginning in November, flight attendants will get 5% raises. Together with one other 2% increase, a slate of different incentives and beforehand negotiated raises below flight attendants’ union contract, their raises in 2026 will compound to 21.5% will increase, in keeping with an organization memo, which was seen by CNBC Friday.

The raises come because the New York-based service is within the technique of trying to accumulate Spirit, a merger the Justice Division has sued to block. A trial for that lawsuit is about to start on Oct. 16 in Boston.

JetBlue agreed to not furlough or displace any flight attendants or shut any related bases for seven years after a possible acquisition of Spirit goes via, the memo stated.

“The present contract was negotiated throughout COVID, and since then our inflight crewmembers pay charges have fallen beneath different airways by a major margin,” a JetBlue spokesman stated in a press release. “As a result of our inflight crewmembers play a major position in delivering the JetBlue expertise, it is necessary that we’re capable of appeal to and retain high-quality crewmembers with aggressive pay and advantages.”

The union stated it might, in flip, assist the deliberate acquisition of Spirit.

“With this settlement made by your TWU Native 579 Government Board and JetBlue, we assist the JetBlue and Spirit transaction and won’t maintain a further informational picket or communicate publicly in opposition to the acquisition,” the union stated in a observe to members.

JetBlue additionally agreed to extra pay for workers that fly the service’s trans-Atlantic routes and in its Mint business-class cabin, in addition to different incentives, in keeping with a letter of settlement with the Transport Employees Union, which represents JetBlue’s 7,000 flight attendants.