Hawaiian Airlines just made a bold move to unify its crew and solidify its future. As a result, flight attendants extended their labor contract to match Alaska Airlines. This change sets both airlines on track toward a joint agreement. Since the 2024 merger, more than 9,000 flight attendants now operate under one corporate umbrella. Clearly, Hawaiian Airlines gains momentum with this unified labor strategy.
Earlier in April, Hawaiian Airlines confirmed that its flight attendants ratified a three-year contract extension. Consequently, the deal boosts pay, improves retirement plans, and grants access to Alaska’s profit-sharing program. Additionally, this extension ensures economic stability while joint contract talks move forward. Therefore, the agreement creates both immediate and long-term value for flight attendants.
Meanwhile, the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) negotiations officially began in March. During this time, Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants became part of the AFA Alaska-Hawaiian group. This shift, finalized during an April board meeting, marked a key organizational milestone. Notably, the transition highlights the new structure of union leadership post-merger.
By March 21, the negotiating teams reached tentative agreements on several core issues. For instance, these include non-discrimination, contract goals, and medical standards. Furthermore, they chose to address each contract section one at a time. The team used the Alaska Airlines agreement as a foundation. Still, the union pushes for better terms than current agreements offer.
Moving forward, union and management teams plan to meet monthly. In these sessions, they will use crew feedback to shape the final contract. Without a doubt, Hawaiian Airlines took a major step by locking in short-term benefits. More importantly, this deal fuels progress toward a united and powerful contract across the merged airline group.
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