Envoy Pilots Achieve Industry-Leading Rates and Five-Year Contract Extension

On June 10, the Envoy MEC announced that they had achieved unprecedented pay raises in a five-year contract extension that ensures the pilot group’s place as tied for the highest rates in the fee-for-departure segment. This letter of agreement (LOA) comes as many qualified pilots left Envoy to pursue careers at mainline carriers, despite a flow-through agreement with Envoy’s parent company, American Airlines Group.

“Our pilot group’s main challenge has been attrition, sometimes as many as 100 pilots in a single month. These pilots weren’t leaving the aviation industry. Instead, they were leaving Envoy to fly for carriers that could offer growth, stability, and a progressive career path,” commented Capt. Aaron Schaap, Envoy MEC chair. “This agreement allows these pilots to find those opportunities here with Envoy. By paying market rate for professional pilots, Envoy management recognized our value to our company and the industry as a whole.”

The new payrates, providing more than an immediate 50 percent pay raise, go into effect June 16. The agreement also provides incentives for pilots who choose to stay with Envoy and defer flowing up to American Airlines.

“The Envoy MEC is grateful to the work of our Negotiating Committee and their management counterparts for addressing the issue of pilot retention with substantive solutions,” continued Schaap. “By fairly compensating pilots, fee-for-departure carriers can retain and—more importantly—attract qualified pilots.”

Last week, the Piedmont pilots reached an industry-leading pay and career-advancement deal.  

“With this agreement, Piedmont is the leading regional carrier in compensation with the best possible path to a mainline flying career at American,” said Capt. Ryan Miller, PDT MEC chair.

Highlights of the letters of agreement include:

• Pilot wages that lead the fee-for-departure industry.
• An additional 50 percent premium on wages for all pilots through at least summer 2024.
• A commitment that pilots will flow to American within five years or be paid at top of scale until they flow.
• An increased wage premium for line check pilots.
• A contract extension through July 19, 2029.

“With the pilot supply premium, our pilot wages will be 50–70% higher [57% on average] than the next-highest-paid regional carrier,” said Miller. “Including all bonuses, a new-hire pilot should expect to make 31% more than regional peers and 10% more than pilots at leading ULCCs [ultra-low-cost-carriers] over the first five years.”

PSA Pilots Extend Contract with Significant Pay Increases and Enhancements

This week, more than 1,900 pilots at PSA Airlines secured significant pay increases and other contract enhancements as part of an effort by the airline to attract and retain pilots as the industry recovers from pandemic-related losses. On top of the regional-industry-leading pay rates, PSA pilots will enjoy an additional 50 percent pay rate premium for a period in excess of two years, so that captains can earn more than $200 per hour.

Other improvements include:

• Space-positive travel options with self-booking for training
• Trip and duty rigs
• An additional long-call reserve window for a 24-hour callout
• Minimum of 12 days off per month
• 100 percent deadhead pay
• Trading reserve days for open-time flying
• Increased line check airman pay
• Increased simulator instructor pay
• Sick bank payout upon flow or direct hire to American
• Increased flow to American

Additionally, after years of discussions, management and the MEC have agreed to terms to begin implementing and testing a preferential bidding system along with a five-year contract extension.
These new agreements bring to fruition ALPA’s long-advocated goal of achieving permanent changes to salaries and work rules, particularly in the regional industry. Without these changes, pilots would continue to leave for airlines that offered better pay, working conditions, and career opportunities. The new PSA agreements will not only help PSA hire and retain quality pilots, but will also set the standard for other regional carriers to follow suit.

Delta Pilots Share Frustration with Customers for Flight Disruptions

Reiterating its concern that Delta Air Lines is scheduling more flights than it has the staff to operate, the Delta MEC is reaching out to Delta customers to let them know the airline’s pilots share their frustration about ongoing operational issues. The pilots are also conducting informational picketing at the annual Delta shareholders’ meeting today in New York.

“This is the first time in our history that we’ve published an open letter to customers,” said Delta MEC chair Capt. Jason Ambrosi. “The Delta pilots take great pride in getting our passengers to their destinations safely and on time. It’s disheartening to see customers waiting in long lines to rebook flights due to scheduling issues that could have been prevented.”

Ravn Alaska Pilots Vote “Yes” to ALPA Representation

With 86 percent of eligible pilots participating in a representation election that concluded today, 84 percent of Ravn Alaska/dba Northern Pacific pilots voted in favor of joining ALPA. The National Mediation Board is expected to certify ALPA as the official bargaining representative for the airline’s 60 pilots in the next few days.

Changes Coming to Canada’s Mandatory Vaccination Requirements

Beginning June 20, the government of Canada will suspend vaccination requirements for domestic and outbound travel, federally regulated transportation sectors, and federal government employees.

For domestic and outbound travel, vaccination will no longer be a requirement to board a plane or train in Canada. However, health measures, including being fully vaccinated, for travelers coming into Canada remain in place; this includes foreign flight crews.

For federally regulated transportation sector workers, the government outlines the following changes:

• As of June 20, 2022, at 00:01 EDT, employers in the federally regulated air, rail, and marine sectors will no longer be required to have mandatory vaccination policies in place for employees.
• Employers will be responsible for establishing return-to-work practices.
• The government is no longer moving forward with proposed regulations under Part II (Occupational Health and Safety) of the Canada Labour Code to make vaccination mandatory in all federally regulated workplaces.

ALPA represents more than 64,000 pilots at 39 airlines in the United States and Canada.
Visit us online at www.alpa.org.