United Airlines and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) have reached a tentative agreement covering the carrier’s 30,000 flight attendants. The deal, announced on March 26, 2026, includes immediate wage increases upon ratification and top rates reaching $100 per hour by the contract’s end, positioning United flight attendants as the highest-paid among major U.S. airlines.
Key provisions feature boarding pay at 50% of the standard hourly rate for passenger boarding time, sit pay for scheduled ground waits exceeding 2.5 hours—calculated at one minute paid for every two minutes beyond that threshold—and a $740 million signing bonus distributed to all flight attendants. The agreement restores requirements for business-class hotels during layovers, mandating clean and quiet accommodations, and preserves personal time off after United dropped plans to eliminate it.
While United sought concessions like a new preferential bidding scheduling system, those demands were removed in final negotiations. The deal permits United to create or control a regional carrier under the United Express brand, where flight attendants could earn nearly 50% less than mainline crew, exempt from the alter-ego airline ban.
The tentative agreement awaits approval from AFA’s Master Executive Council, including local presidents, at a special meeting. If endorsed, voting opens after April 23 and closes May 12; ratification would implement the contract May 31, amendable after five years through August 2030.