The JetBlue aircraft flies over New York City as a tribute to health workers and first responders, as seen from Weehawken in New Jersey on May 7, 2020.
Kena Betancur | AFP | fake pictures
JetBlue Airways and the union representing the airline’s pilots reached an agreement that avoids involuntary permits until April of next year, according to a union memorandum sent to the pilots on Wednesday.
The JetBlue chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association voted to approve a letter of agreement that “protects all JetBlue pilots from involuntary permission, under no circumstances, until May 1, 2021,” said the union memorandum, which was seen by CNBC. The airline had some 3,600 pilots and more than 21,000 employees in total, according to its 2019 annual report.
JetBlue did not respond to a request for comment.
The deal comes as pressure on airlines increases to cut costs as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect travel demand.
The JetBlue pilots union agreed “short-term changes” with an “earlier pullback if flight demand recovers,” the memo said, but it was not immediately clear what that entailed. The memorandum says that there will be no changes in the rates of payment of the collective agreements or “significant modifications” to the work rules.
“In this environment, this is the highest level of codified pilot protection in our industry to date,” says the memo.
“Airline pilots have been on the front line of this public health crisis and were part of the first wave of those directly affected by the associated economic consequences,” the union said in a statement to CNBC.
Major US passenger airlines accepted $ 25 billion in federal aid this spring that prohibits them from firing or reducing workers’ wage rates until September 30. Executives have warned that they expect to need fewer employees and say they want to exhaust voluntary measures before resorting to layoffs.
American Airlines told employees Tuesday that it expects to have up to 8,000 more flight attendants than it needs this fall. The airline had more than 25,000 flight attendants at the end of last year.
“While our surplus is evolving based on our scheduling plans and the elements I will detail below, we expect to have a surplus of between 7,000 and 8,000 flight attendants this fall,” said Jill Surdek, senior vice president of flight service. Note. “This does not mean that we will leave many hostesses without permission, but it is a surplus that we will have to address. Our goal is to reduce this number as much as possible through voluntary options and working with unions.”
The Fort Worth-based airline also plans to close the flight attendant bases at airports serving the Raleigh-Durham and St. Louis area, as revenues remain weak, Surdek said. The carrier is also reducing several bases and reducing staffing on wide-body aircraft used for transcontinental and international routes.
Delta Air Lines told pilots on Friday that the notice will warn more than 2,500 of them this week about possible permits. The Atlanta-based airline urged eligible pilots to take early retirement packages, which include partial payment in some cases for three years.
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