United Airlines pilots have agreed to a new joint union contract, bringing the airline closer to completing its merger with Continental.
The new four-year contract, which includes raises averaging 43 percent and bigger retirement contributions, covers those who came from United as well as pilots who flew for Continental before the carriers merged in 2010 into United Continental Holdings. Pilots now fly under the United name only.
As part of the deal, the airline’s roughly 10,000 pilots also will divide a $400 million lump sum. In exchange, the contract gives United Continental the ability to start a major expansion of the use of larger regional jets with 70 or more seats. Those jets, most with 50 to 76 seats, are operated by regional airlines.
United and other carriers have been eager to expand use of the 76-seat planes because they can be flown profitably even at higher fuel prices.
But pilots at the big airlines generally oppose them because they don’t want the airline to shift too much flying to the smaller, cheaper planes.
Pilots at United Agree on a Contract
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Pilots at United Agree on a Contract
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Pilots at United Agree on a Contract
