Alaska Airlines flight attendants will receive an average 32% pay increase, as well as in-flight pay and a back bonus for the past 21 months of intense negotiations, under a new tentative agreement.

The tentative agreement between Alaska Airlines and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) was reached late last month, but details of the proposed contract have only now been released in advance of a vote later this month.

The proposed contract provides for an average salary increase of 32 percent for the Seattle-based airline's flight attendants. In-flight compensation will also increase between 4.6 and 33 percent.

The salary increase includes an immediate increase of 18%, followed by a 3% increase on August 15, 2025, and another 3% increase one year later.

For example, under the tentative agreement, the hourly wage of a newly hired flight attendant will increase from less than $25 to $32. And for experienced flight attendants with at least 14 years of experience, the hourly wage will increase from around £58 to $74.

To bridge the time the two sides sat at the negotiating table, Alaska Airlines also agreed to pay flight attendants a bonus retroactively for the past 21 months based on the same formula as Southwest Airlines.

The union acknowledges that the wages agreed with Alaska Airlines mean, at least at first glance, that that airline's flight attendants will earn less than their colleagues at Southwest Airlines, which recently agreed to a groundbreaking and industry-leading wage agreement.

However, when onboard salaries are also taken into account, the Association of Flight Attendants claims that many of its members at Alaska Airlines actually earn more than their colleagues at Southwest.

Although Delta Air Lines was the first major U.S. airline to begin paying on-board allowances to its flight attendants again in April 2022, Alaska Airlines is the first group of flight attendants in the U.S. to receive a collectively agreed on-board allowance, according to the AFA – an issue that has been at the center of negotiations.

Traditionally, US airlines only pay their flight attendants their hourly wage from the moment the plane leaves the gate. But at American Airlines and United Airlines, payment during boarding is also a major issue in negotiations.

Voting on the preliminary agreement with Alaska Airlines begins on July 24 and ends on August 24.

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