DENVER – The union representing Frontier Airlines pilots said it has reached an agreement with Frontier management on a new pilot contract, ending the short-term threat of a strike.
The deal must be approved by union heads and then by the pilot group, the Air Line Pilots Association International said Monday. The union called the understanding an “agreement in principal.”
“The AIP includes substantial improvements to pay, work rules, retirement, health insurance, and disability benefits. It retains the value of existing contract scheduling and vacation language and includes a $75 million ratification bonus to recognize the lengthy period of time it took to negotiate this agreement,” according to a statement sent to Denver7 Monday morning.
The two sides have been negotiating for two and a half years and representatives for the pilots have repeatedly said a strike was possible.
Frontier management and the union have been in federal mediation since November 2016.
The union representing Frontier Airlines pilots tells me it has reached an agreement with management for a new contract. This agreement must be approved by the union heads which will vote on whether to send it out to the pilot group for a full ratification vote. #Denver7
— Jace Larson Denver7 (@jacelarson) November 12, 2018
Pilots have previously said they are unhappy because they are the lowest-paid pilots in North America who fly Airbus planes. They wanted higher wages.
The Air Line Pilots Association claims pilots at Frontier earn, on average, 60 percent of what pilots do at other airlines.
Frontier declined to comment on the developments.
