Delta flight attendants lead the industry in total compensation
Every year, we review Delta’s flight pay rates and our package of total compensation for flight attendants, making decisions about where we will invest in additional compensation, benefits, and wellness programs to ensure we meet our commitment to our people. In doing so, we also look at our global competitors (American and United) to ensure our flight attendants continue to lead the industry – and this year is no different.
We publish comparisons internally so our people can see how they stack up to their peers. Just as we have for many years, this year our total compensation package outpaces those offered at American and United – all because our direct relationship allows us to invest in what matters most to our flight attendants. In the last year, we:
Increased pay by 5% in April 2023, solidifying industry-leading flight pay for our flight attendants and exceeding United and American at every step of the scale.
Delivered an additional 8-10% in compensation this year with boarding premium pay – the industry’s first premium pay for boarding.
Paid out an additional 5.57% of individual earnings in profit sharing. Flight attendants at United received just 3.36% while those at American received just 1.3%.
Distributed a Shared Rewards payment of $675 to all eligible Delta employees, compared to $0 at both United and American, who indefinitely paused their rewards programs during the pandemic and have not reinstated them.
When you take all this into account, for 2023 a first-year Delta flight attendant makes around $5,400 more than their peers at American and United. At top-of-scale, Delta flight attendants make an average of $9,500 more than their peers at American and United (based on an 80 hour schedule).
Meanwhile, at other airlines, contract negotiations can be lengthy and complex, and there’s no saying how long it can take to reach a contract. While the company and the union make their way through hundreds of topics, improvements are rarely made to pay and work rules during the negotiations process. Just look at Spirit, where AFA spent nine years negotiating for a second contract during which flight attendants saw no pay increases and little to no improvements. In that same nine years, Delta flight attendants received nine pay raises amounting to a 48% bump in pay.
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Stay in the know.
Text DELTA to +1 205 846 8096 for updates*
*By texting DELTA to +1 205 846 8096, you are agreeing to receive periodic SMS text messages from Delta Air Lines regarding One Future. One Delta. Standard messaging and data rates may apply. You may unsubscribe any time by texting “UNSUBSCRIBE” to +1 205 846 8096 . Full Terms.