Delta gives employees 4% raises, first pay increase since before the pandemic

Delta Air Strains on Thursday stated it will give most of its 75,000 staff a 4% pay elevate, their first enhance for the reason that fall of 2019, earlier than the pandemic.

Airways have been among the many hardest-hit throughout Covid as journey demand dried up, spurring document losses in any respect the main carriers. However bookings are again on the upswing, notably for home leisure journey.

Now carriers are scrambling to rent and prepare employees to match surging journey demand. Airways like Southwest Airways and United Airways have raised minimal pay or supplied hiring bonuses to draw employees in a decent labor market and amid excessive inflation.

A Delta spokesman stated the will increase are a part of common, base-pay raises the corporate supplied staff earlier than Covid hit.

Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian stated the airline nonetheless expects an general loss within the first quarter due to omicron’s impression on staffing and journey early this yr. The corporate expects a revenue for the month of March.

“We have come a good distance for the reason that darkest days of 2020,” Bastian stated in an worker memo saying the pay will increase. He stated the airline is “optimistic” that it might probably generate a revenue this yr.

The Affiliation of Flight Attendants-CWA final week wrote to Delta cabin crew members noting they have not obtained a pay enhance since 2019. The flight attendants’ union is in the midst of a membership drive at Delta that it launched in November 2019.

Delta’s roughly 20,000 flight attendants are the most important non-union cabin crew of any U.S. airline.

The union stated “just about each different U.S. Flight Attendant is aware of what to rely on as detailed of their contract. As a substitute, we’re ready and questioning, wishing and hoping that administration, and administration alone, will get up someday and resolve to offer raises.”

Delta stated in an announcement to CNBC the pay enhance was not associated to the flight attendant union drive.

“Delta has an extended observe document of caring for our individuals, and because the CEO stated, it is a well-deserved base pay enhance for our individuals who proceed to excel at safely caring for our prospects with a journey expertise that units us aside,” an airline spokesman stated.

The pay enhance doesn’t apply to Delta pilots.