Southwest Flight Attendants Among Highest Paid in Industry After Scoring New Contract

By Madz Dizon

May 02, 2024 09:53 AM EDT

Southwest Flight Attendants Among Highest Paid in Industry After Scoring New Contract — A traveler walks past a Southwest Airlines airplane as it taxies from a gate at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on October 11, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland.
(Photo : Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Transport Workers Union said Southwest flight attendants have ratified a new four-year contract, which includes a significant 22.3% raise.

The contract also includes a significant amount of retroactive wages, which greatly benefit flight attendants and position them as some of the highest-paid professionals in the industry.

Southwest Flight Attendants Highest Paid in Industry

The retroactive wages will be distributed according to the flight hours logged by the flight attendants during the negotiation period. According to Fortune, the 22.3% raise took effect on May 1, 2024.

Southwest attendants have achieved remarkable success, as they now earn the highest salaries in the industry.

In fact, Southwest flight attendants make 14% more than the second-best paid flight attendants, who work for Delta.

United, Alaska, along with America Airlines are currently engaged in contract negotiations.

Southwest Flight Attendants' Contract Upgrades

According to Skift, the contract offers provisions for additional compensation for any additional time spent on the ground as well as premium pay for longer shifts.

The contract also ensures that flight attendants are covered in case of work-related injuries and grants them holiday pay for the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.

Flight attendants will also be granted paid maternal and paternal leave, which the union has hailed as an unprecedented development in the industry. The contract provides healthcare coverage for flight attendants who have a newborn child.

The recently approved contract also features additional pay raises of 3% in 2025, 2026, and 2027, in addition to the significant 22.3% salary increase.

Following the holiday chaos in 2022, the contract has been updated to include a revised reserve system. This change will eliminate the 24-hour on-call system, allowing flight attendants to have more time for rest.

"This agreement is a positive development for our Flight Attendants and will contribute to the overall improvement of Southwest's operation," stated Adam Carlisle, Southwest's vice president of labor relations.