Delta Air Lines will start paying its flight attendants during boarding time, becoming the first major U.S. airline to do so.
Flight attendants, who previously got paid once the aircraft doors closed, will now receive half of their hourly rates as customers board, beginning June 2, according to a company memo obtained by CNBC.
Boarding time for “narrow-body flights” will also increase from 35 minutes to 40 minutes, as “one of several steps we’re taking to add resiliency to our operation,” the company announced.
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The Atlanta-based airline’s changes in pay come as a recent unionization effort gained traction among flight attendants. Currently, Delta’s 20,000 flight attendants are not unionized, unlike other major U.S. airlines, according to the outlet.
That could change soon. A union campaign that started back in 2019 by the Association of Flight Attendants is seeking to organize and pass a mass unionization. The organization currently represents cabin crews from other major carriers, including United Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Frontier Airlines.
“As we get closer to filing for our union vote, management is getting nervous,” the AFA wrote in a statement on Monday. “Today, let’s celebrate that our organizing is pushing management to do more than they would have without being challenged. And let’s double down on our campaign so we can secure a contract that locks in all of these benefits.”
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Flight attendants for Delta have previously voted down unionizing efforts in 2002, 2008, and 2010.
