No one relishes the inconvenience of a flight delay. When flights are delayed, flight attendants face a daunting task that goes far beyond the inconvenience alone: an unexpected deluge of extra labor. As you stand at the airport, clad in your uniform, the wait begins: the pay clock won’t start ticking until the aircraft has departed from its designated gate.
“In an industry where pay is often tied to performance, JetBlue flight attendants face a unique challenge,” notes Rory Kimbrough, managing board member at the Transport Staff Union Local 579, which represents these workers. With a distinguished career spanning two decades as a flight attendant, Kimbrough.
When pilots go unpaid during grueling flight training or face prolonged delays, this lack of compensation is not just an unfortunate oversight – it’s a symptom of a deeply flawed and overburdened system affecting all airline personnel, which ultimately compromises the overall flying experience for everyone involved? As widespread issues arise, such as understaffed assistance teams and the struggle to secure a hotel room for adequate rest, these challenges can exacerbate delays further for passengers.
With pay being a significant concern, Brittany Norris, an eight-year veteran and current flight attendant, underscores the pressing issue: “Not getting paid is a large problem.” “When delays occur, passengers are understandably frustrated, making our own frustration even more acute.”
A record-breaking number of travelers have flown around the world this summer season, with over 2.5 million people passing through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints on the Sunday of Fourth of July weekend alone? Between late May and August this year, approximately 25 percent of flights were delayed – a figure comparable to that seen last summer, according to data from flight monitoring website FlightAware. To what extent did flight delays affect the summer travel season in 2019, with a staggering 18.6% of all flights being delayed? When a CrowdStrike IT outage struck in late July, uncertainty loomed about what lay ahead. The outage lasted for days. According to data from an aviation analytics agency, nearly 24,000 flights in North America were cancelled throughout the month of July. The impact of Delta’s issue was particularly severe, causing a near-weeklong domino effect of delays and cancellations that lingered long after the initial problem emerged.
Airports have become stuck in a state of gridlock, with passengers and flight attendants alike struggling to move beyond the terminals. While initially stemming from an IT issue compromising critical airline operations, the prolonged flight disruptions are attributed by the Delta organizing committee to understaffing and undermanned teams that have been fighting for unionization since 2019?
How flight attendant pay works
Delta asserts its leadership as the industry’s foremost exponent of operational efficiency, having canceled fewer flights, thereby minimizing wait times on the ground and maximizing in-flight hours. “Delta uniquely compensates its flight attendants with a boarding stipend, a practice we’ve maintained for over two years.”
Earnings structures for flight attendants can be complex, making them difficult to fully comprehend at first glance. A fixed rate governs flight time and distance traveled, akin to an hourly wage, commonly referred to as “block” time within the aviation industry. The comprehensive duty period, however, encompasses a sequence of flights and incorporates a 45-minute to approximately two-hour window during which flight attendants must arrive at the airport to “check-in” for work, as well as around 15 minutes after the aircraft lands. While most unionized airlines provide some basic pay guarantees beyond minimum duty time, they typically ensure that pilots receive at least half of their total guaranteed flight time compensation hours.
Some unionized flight attendants have gone without significant raises for years.
While the flight time charge aims to compensate for on-ground hours, pay hikes have yet to keep pace with inflation and the significantly increased workload faced by flight attendants over recent years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, prolonged delays in contract renegotiations have left many unionized flight attendants waiting for years to secure meaningful pay increases amidst persistently high inflation rates.
With planes operating at full capacity, flight attendants are shouldering an unprecedented workload, toiling through long hours with minimal staffing, fleeting downtime, and little respite from their grueling labor, according to Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. The aviation industry underwent significant transformations in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and subsequent security measures. “The airline’s flexible scheduling options are extensive, offering a range of flight times to accommodate our needs,” she explains. Following the traumatic events of 9/11, flight attendants unexpectedly became the “last line of defense” in aviation safety, according to Nelson’s observations. It was imperative for them to make up for these losses ultimately because there were instances where such a need had arisen. Following the pandemic, businesses were compelled to transform into public health enforcers as well, taking on an additional crucial role in ensuring community safety and compliance with health guidelines.
In addition to overtime pay, many employers offer a modest per-diem allowance, typically ranging from $2 to $3 per hour while on duty, designed to cover incidental expenses such as meal costs and other unexpected expenditures incurred during work hours. Certain airlines offer premium compensation to flight attendants who exceed a specified number of hours monthly, or incentivize them with higher pay for working specific routes and schedules.
Because flights can be delayed prior to boarding, many flight attendants must wait longer to start receiving compensation.
Long-serving flight attendants at airlines have the potential to earn significantly higher travel perks. At Delta, the maximum size is capped at near-flight time, with an hourly fee of $77.43 that translates to approximately $74,332 annually, assuming you can endure the initial several years. Recently, a growing number of flight attendants have disclosed that they are struggling with homelessness, often citing the unpredictable nature of their schedules and limited job security as major factors. Individuals often take on multiple employment opportunities to secure the financial means for basic necessities. An infographic recently went viral, highlighting the stark reality that a first-year worker in a particular airline company would earn approximately $27,315 annually if they flew for just over seven hours a day at a rate of $30.35 per hour, translating to about $4.50 an hour after taxes. According to data, a single adult in one of the US cities with the lowest cost of living would require approximately $39,386 per year to meet their basic needs. Kimbrough claims that some of his fellow union members receive assistance from government programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“For the first time in the industry’s history, we’re seeing unprecedented turnover among flight attendants due to unaffordable working conditions.”
According to Maria Teresa Hank, a representative of TWU 556, the union that represents Southwest Airlines’ flight attendants, she finds it puzzling how new hires manage to endure the challenges of being a flight attendant. “For the first time ever, people are actually leaving their jobs as flight attendants due to unaffordable living costs. In response to queries from Vox, a Southwest Airlines spokesperson emphasized that the company and its flight attendants’ union have agreed on a groundbreaking employment contract.”
Many are fed up. American Airlines and United flight attendants are locked in a dispute over higher wages and fair compensation for their entire workday, not just the hours when they’re actively serving passengers. Recent developments indicate progress on the issue, as Southwest Airlines’ agreement with its flight attendants now offers additional compensation for extended delays. A tentative agreement has been reached between American Airlines and its flight attendants, offering half-pay during boarding procedures, similar to Delta’s approach. On August 28, a resounding 99.99 percent of United Airlines flight attendants cast “yes” ballots in favor of authorizing a strike if contract talks stall.
Unexpected setbacks can wreak havoc on an otherwise smooth morning commute, derailing even the most carefully laid plans. Delays, whether due to inclement weather, mechanical issues or infrastructure failures, have a way of throwing a wrench into the works, leaving commuters scrambling to adjust their schedules and itineraries.
Flight attendants often juggle multiple flight schedules daily. Delays have a propensity to disrupt schedules, triggering a ripple effect that can lead to an accumulation of additional hold-ups. When airways struggle to respond promptly to disruptions, the entire system stagnates as a result.
When irregular operations occur in the industry, flight attendants stress that their employers should take a more proactive approach. Ensuring that select flight attendants have access to lodging arrangements whenever unexpected delays prolong their work hours significantly. Flight attendants are legally restricted from working more than a specific number of hours, usually between 14 and 16 hours, on domestic routes. Delays at airports can erode the window of opportunity for flight attendants to complete their mandatory 9 hours of uninterrupted rest, prompting them to work longer than necessary. The frustration was palpable among shoppers when they discovered that the crew’s tardiness resulted in wasted time, with some questioning, “What took so long? We didn’t even get started.”
Airways tend to wait until the last possible moment before fulfilling their contractual obligation to provide a hotel room. When flight attendants are permitted to request a break, they must also consider the time it takes to order and journey, so by the point you arrive at the lodge, you actually get an hour or possibly half-hour of simply sitting down and being restful before it’s necessary to return to the airport. They then return to work without feeling rested and closer to timing out of having the ability to fly, which is an especially huge drawback if there are several legs on their schedule.
“While some might view our role as limited to serving beverages and light bites, we’re actually poised to make a critical difference in high-pressure situations – whether that’s facilitating a swift aircraft evacuation or providing life-saving assistance during a medical emergency on board.” “Do you expect your flight attendants to remain vigilant and ready to respond at a moment’s notice?”
Catching up on much-needed rest between flights, you sometimes discover yourself dozing off on planes, or in airport seating areas, and occasionally even within the relative comfort of a crew lounge.
During periods of widespread travel chaos, it’s not uncommon for even flight attendants to struggle securing a hotel room, alongside countless others seeking shelter from the disruptions. When rooms are available, expect to spend hours trying to reach someone on the airline’s hospitality team. They often find themselves nodding off on airplanes, in airport seating areas, within crew lounges when available, and occasionally even on the ground – a common experience for stranded travelers.
Kimbrough admits that she’s had to foot the bill for other flight attendants’ hotel rooms on previous occasions. While newer flight attendants might struggle to scrape together even a few hundred dollars to cover an unexpected hotel expense, a full reimbursement is by no means guaranteed. Until recently, Norris reveals that Delta had a reimbursement cap of $200 per night. Now, the airline typically reimburses up to a “reasonable amount.” (The company clarified that receipts must be submitted for reimbursement of any out-of-pocket hotel expenses, although it did not specify if this capped at a particular figure.) Usually, Hank notes, pilots at Southwest end up covering a room on behalf of flight attendants, as they seem to have an easier time getting reimbursed.
On international flights, when a flight attendant is required to remain overnight, they are expected to rest in a hotel room rather than relax in the crew lounge at the airport or take a quick nap on the ground. The Delta AFA organizing committee is aiming to secure at least 10 hours of approved downtime in their initial collective bargaining agreement, with nine of those hours accessible directly behind the hotel room door, according to Norris.
Despite a 2017 promise to deliver a swift resolution following the breach of its computer systems by hackers, Delta Air Lines and their cybersecurity partner CrowdStrike took an unconscionable 13 days to notify affected passengers about the incident. This egregious delay only exacerbated the anxiety and mistrust that already plagued the airline industry after similar breaches at American Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
Despite lingering uncertainty, it’s unclear why Delta was disproportionately affected by the CrowdStrike outage in late July, requiring a full week to recover whereas other carriers quickly rebounded from the issue. The fact that Delta’s computer systems required on-site maintenance may have hindered the company’s ability to work effectively, forcing employees to find alternative solutions to complete tasks remotely. That took loads of time.
Despite suspicions that another factor may have played a role in the disruption, the Delta AFA organizing committee points to a critical shortage of employees on the airline’s crew scheduling team as a significant contributor to the issue. Currently, we have the smallest number of schedulers among all major carriers. Crew schedulers meticulously allocate flight attendants to specific flights, engage in collaborative discussions regarding delay-related issues, and seamlessly implement reassignments when faced with irregular operations. Without a robust crew-scheduling system, it’s impossible to untangle the complexities of delay issues.
The committee estimates that there are as few as zero on the airline, whereas at United there are approximately 120, and at American there are roughly 200. Delta has approximately 28,000 flight attendants, significantly more than 20,000. According to Anna Taylor Garland, communications director at the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, United and American airlines have hired additional crew schedulers as a direct outcome of the unions representing flight attendants successfully advocating for more personnel. “That’s an actually, actually crucial spine infrastructure team,” says Taylor Garland.
Without a sufficient scheduling team in place, airlines can easily lose track of their crew’s whereabouts, making it challenging to redirect them effectively – exactly what happened to Norris.
Despite efforts, Norris was stuck in the crew monitoring system for approximately 40 hours.
On July 19, when the CrowdStrike outage occurred, Norris recalled the frustrating experience of trying to reach out to Delta’s crew monitoring team. The traveller had been informed by the airport that her flight would be delayed due to a pilot shortage; the airline lacked personnel authorized to operate at the scheduled time because they hadn’t obtained sufficient rest periods between flights. Norris spent approximately 40 hours misdirected on the crew monitoring system, ultimately rendering her unable to perform duties during a scheduled journey.
A spokesperson for Delta clarified that the airline’s unique approach to crew scheduling sets it apart from others, with crew assignments not following a standard template.
When unexpected waves of delays wreak havoc on flight schedules, stranding some flight attendants away from their desired destinations, airlines often rely on a crew of reserve attendants – usually early-career professionals – to step in and fill the gaps. When prolonged disruptions last for days, however, these emergency funds can quickly dwindle. Carriers often offer premium compensation to encourage off-duty flight attendants to take on additional flights during disruptions, with some also opting out due to concerns about being left stranded without accommodations, according to Kimbrough.
To reduce the frequency and duration of flight delays, airlines would benefit from increasing the number of skilled customer service representatives on hand to swiftly address passenger concerns. This employee, though often overlooked, plays a crucial role in ensuring that flight attendants and pilots are situated correctly. To better cope with irregular operations, they must be incentivized to pick up extra shifts by offering attractive rewards to flight attendants willing to work additional hours.
As COVID-19’s grip on global travel slowly loosens, a growing chorus of travelers is lamenting the palpable uptick in stress and tension that now defines air travel. While the proportion of delayed flights has not significantly increased compared to pre-2019 levels, travelers may still face challenges due to higher passenger volumes and a notable surge in “unruly” behavior reported by the Federal Aviation Administration since 2019. The aviation industry has become particularly vulnerable in recent times, primarily as a result of the significant number of experienced personnel who departed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of pilots and flight attendants were laid off or forced to retire early in 2020, a drastic measure taken due to the unprecedented collapse in air travel demand. By mid-2020, more than half of our team had departed from the corporation. Prior to the past few years, many airlines have rapidly expanded their offerings by leasing additional aircraft. As a result of numerous institutional records have gone astray, it also indicates that an increasing number of flight attendants are struggling to make ends meet on the lower rungs of the salary scale today?
Flight attendants urged passengers not to direct their frustrations over delays at them, instead empathizing with the difficulties travelers face when faced with unexpected turbulence in their journeys. As the situation unfolds, Kimbrough remarks, “We’re experiencing the same predicament as you – a cancelled flight and no clear plan to get back on track.”
