United, Spirit offer higher pay to on board staff during January

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Reuters

United, Spirit offer higher pay to on board staff during January

Abhijith Ganapavaram
Fri, December 31, 2021, 1:12 PM

(Reuters) - United Airlines and Spirit Airlines Inc are bumping up pay for on board staff as they scramble to keep schedules intact after U.S. airlines were hammered by a week of mass cancellations.

While Spirit's flight attendants are receiving double pay on any work through Jan. 4, according to their union, United is offering triple time for pilots who pick up extra trips during January, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.

The holiday season has been marred by delayed or canceled flights, causing chaos at most U.S. airports as sick staff and fear of contracting COVID-19 grow. Coupled with the prospect of dealing with unruly passengers, many pilots and cabin crew are even forgoing overtime incentives. ... That hesitancy, combined with bad weather and tight staffing, has led to over 8,000 flight cancellations over the past eight days, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com.

"All flight attendants, regardless of how you have obtained your pairing, will be receiving 200% pay for any pairing that touches Dec. 28 through Jan. 4," the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said in a statement. The union represents about 4,000 flight attendants at Spirit Airlines, according to the carrier's latest annual filing.

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[Sherman A1]

1. Two thoughts here

1). Seems like they could have afforded this before this point?

2). Is this an incentive to work sick to fill out aircrews?


Happily I am not getting on an airplane anytime soon.

[Irish_Dem]

2. Given the dates, seems like an incentive to make sure holiday flights

have adequate staff coverage.

[3Hotdogs]

3. I don't get why there is not a general "sick out" in protest for more prosecution of

disruptive airline passengers.