JBLU - JetBlue pilots approve contract extension including 'unprecedented pay increases'

The Air Line Pilots Association announced on Monday that JetBlue Airways ( NASDAQ: JBLU ) pilots it represents have approved a two-year contract extension.

The new contract entails a 21.5% pay hike over 18 months, as well as “other monetary improvements.” According to a press release, 75% of pilots participating in the vote moved to ratify the new, tentative agreement.

“This contract extension provides unprecedented pay increases for JetBlue pilots across the board and recognizes the contributions of JetBlue pilots to the success of this airline, including the planned merger with Spirit Airlines,” said Capt. Chris Kenney, chair of the JetBlue unit of ALPA. “As JetBlue pursues this merger, this agreement protects the career expectations of JetBlue pilots while the market for pilots rises.”

He added that the negotiations were influenced by airline’s prospective merger with Spirit Airlines ( SAVE ).

“We entered into these negotiations recognizing that mergers take time and our pilots couldn’t wait for the compensation improvements they have earned,” Kenney concluded. “As pilots at several other airlines continue to negotiate new contracts, this agreement puts the JetBlue pilots with our peers at the top of the industry.”

Read more on Spirit Airlines’ recent agreement with its own pilots union .

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