United Flight Attendants: Why 71% Rejected Big Raises

In July 2025, 71% of United Airlines flight attendants voted down a contract that promised 27% immediate pay raises, $21,000 in average retroactive pay, and boarding pay for the first time ever. With 92% voter turnout, this wasn’t a close call—it was a statement.

So what actually happened? If you think this is just about money, you’re missing the entire story.

In this episode, we break down the United flight attendant contract situation from May 2025 through early 2026—the timeline, the numbers, the real reasons behind the rejection, and what comes next as federal mediation continues.

What We Cover:

The Timeline:

∙ May 23, 2025: Tentative Agreement reached for 28,000 flight attendants

∙ July 29, 2025: Membership votes 71% to reject (92% turnout)

∙ January-March 2026: Federal mediation sessions resume in Chicago

What Was Actually in the Rejected Contract:

∙ 26.9% average immediate pay raise

∙ First-year pay: $28.88 → $36.92/hour (matching Delta)

∙ Senior pay: up to $84.78/hour

∙ $21,000 average retroactive pay ($50,000+ for most senior)

∙ Boarding pay at 50% of hourly rate

∙ Total package value: $6 billion over 5 years

Why 71% Said No:

This is where it gets interesting. The rejection wasn’t about the headline numbers—it was about the gap between what looks good in a press release and what actually matters at 35,000 feet.

We explain the difference between “headline economics” and “line-life reality”—how work rules, hotel language, reserve systems, and scheduling provisions can make or break a contract even when the pay looks competitive. We walk through real scenarios showing why a bigger paycheck doesn’t always mean more money if the job gets harder to do.

Pay Comparisons Across the Industry:

We break down where United flight attendants stand compared to Delta, American, Alaska, and Southwest as of early 2026—including who has boarding pay, what recent contract outcomes looked like, and why United FAs are currently working under 2020 pay rates frozen for 5+ years.

What’s Happening Now:

Federal mediation is ongoing through March 2026. The union is pushing for immediate economic improvements and work-rule protections. Management wants efficiency offsets—including reducing reserve guarantees and implementing Preferential Bidding System changes that the union strongly opposes.

We lay out four plausible scenario lanes for how this plays out, plus the specific signals to watch that will tell you which direction negotiations are actually heading.

The Bigger Picture:

This isn’t just a United story. This is about how flight attendant contracts actually work in 2026—the mechanics of boarding pay vs. ground duty pay, why “hourly rate” doesn’t mean what most people think it means, the pattern of first-contract rejections across the industry, and why strike threats are essentially non-existent under current federal labor law.

Who This Is For:

∙ Flight attendants at any carrier who want to understand contract dynamics

∙ Aviation professionals tracking labor developments

∙ Anyone curious about how airline labor negotiations actually work behind the headlines

No spin. No taking sides. Just the verified facts, the professional analysis, and the context you need to understand what’s really happening.

Sources: All claims verified through primary sources including AFA-CWA press releases, union contract documents, CNBC, Bloomberg, Aviation Week, and credible aviation industry publications. Full source list available in show notes.

Related Topics: Flight attendant pay, airline labor negotiations, boarding pay, United Airlines, AFA-CWA, contract ratification, federal mediation, work rules, reserve systems, airline industry 2026.