As United Airlines flight attendant contract negotiations continue, discussions are currently focused on pay and work rule provisions.
Improvements being sought by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) target issues raised by the carrier’s 28,000 flight attendants after rejecting an initial tentative agreement (TA1) over the summer. Federally mediated negotiations are ongoing Jan. 6-9, with additional sessions scheduled for February and March.
“During this mediation session, your Negotiating Committee will continue to fight for our agenda,” said United AFA. That will include a “push for immediate economic improvements,” it noted in a Jan. 2. update. “The cost of living is only going up. We must have economic improvements now.”
Negotiations in December 2025 largely centered on non-economic concerns, according to the union, including changes to hotel language, electronic notification, and other related provisions. AFA noted progress on resolving “a number of” those issues, while pushing back against what it has termed “management’s ridiculous list of concessions.”
“We already beat back these proposals once during TA1 and have no interest in entertaining them during this second round of bargaining,” it said.
The initial TA was voted down by United flight attendants in July 2025, with 71% rejecting the deal—one set to offer a 40% gain in total economic improvements in its first year. TA1 also included hotel, scheduling, reserve and other improvements. After its rejection, AFA surveyed United’s flight attendants on key issues and presented a list of proposals to airline management in October.
“The focus is to fix the key issues of concern for Flight Attendants so we can secure an improved TA in a timely manner,” explained United AFA. “This is especially important now, given United Flight Attendants are currently being paid almost 35 percent behind our counterparts at Delta and American when we factor in pay and boarding pay.”
United executives have expressed optimism for a deal to be reached in early 2026. The carrier expects to hire over 3,200 flight attendants this year to help support planned growth as it continues taking delivery of new aircraft.
“We’ve got the best flight attendants in the business—they deserve an industry-leading contract, we’re going to give them an industry-leading contract,” United CFO Michael Leskinen said on a third quarter earnings call. “[We’re] very optimistic we will have a ratified deal in early 2026 to get them that industry-leading pay.”
United’s flight attendant negotiations entered federal mediation in March 2024. The next negotiation session is scheduled for Feb. 10-12.
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