It was Piedmont , that started the trend and Phoenix based Regional carrier Mesa Airlines raised the bar ! Regional carriers' wage warfare continues as an excess of 700 pilots of Horizon Air , Alaska Air Group's subsidiary , have entered into an agreement that includes eye-popping pay increases.
Notably , Horizon Air's pilots, who are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), voted to ratify a new agreement aimed at supporting the company's pilots and retaining talent as mainline airlines continue hiring pilots away from regional airlines at record levels.
Horizon Air Industries, Inc., operating as Horizon Air, is an American regional airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. Horizon Air and its sister carrier Alaska Airlines are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and all Horizon-operated scheduled flights are marketed and sold by Alaska Airlines.
The agreement includes important pay increases and enhancements to retirement benefits. Additional improvements involve commuter policies and instructor benefits. More than 91% of Horizon pilots voted, and the agreement passed by 99%.
A tentative agreement was reached with the IBT on Sept. 2 and is effective immediately upon today's ratification.
"Horizon Air is proud to serve communities throughout the West – places that we call home. The ongoing industry pilot shortage has put a strain on this service, and it's more critical than ever that we attract and retain our talented pilots," said Joe Sprague, president of Horizon Air."
"We are focused on making Horizon the regional carrier of choice for pilots, and this agreement positions us well. I'm grateful to our pilots and to our colleagues at the IBT for their collaboration and hard work in getting to this point. Together, we are positioning Horizon for a strong future."
"In light of recent wage increases across all segments of our industry, significant improvements were necessary for Horizon Air to remain competitive in attracting and retaining pilots," said Horizon pilot and IBT 1224 Executive Council Chairman Henry Simkins."
"We identified what was important to our pilot group and worked to implement an approach that will help Horizon Air retain an experienced workforce and attract new talent. We appreciate management's investment in our skilled professionals that continue to safely deliver our wonderful passengers every day."
The pilot shortage and the transition to a single fleet of Embraer 175 aircraft has resulted in a temporary reduction of Horizon's scheduled flying. Nonetheless, Horizon continues to fly to every community we serve.
Regional air service provides essential support for economic development and strong local communities. We're committed to ensuring this service remains strong into the future.
The new agreement with Horizon pilots complements other company efforts that are expanding and diversifying the pilot pipeline through investments in the Ascend Pilot Academy and the Pilot Development Program. This is a priority, as Alaska and Horizon estimate the need to hire 500 pilots each year through 2025.
Alaska Airlines pilots are watching , the sky-rocketing provision of Horizon Air’s labor agreement is a trailer of what awaits pilots at Alaska Airlines and all other US carriers, regionals atleast.
Carriers like Delta , American, JetBlue , United and Southwest are currently in the process of tough contract negotiations with their own cockpit crew.
Alaska Airlines has already lost pilots who jumped to Delta and other carriers. So, expecting a pay raise of at least 50% in the new contract should not be a big ask for Alaska Airlines.
With bases in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska, Horizon serves more than 45 cities throughout the Pacific Northwest, California, the Midwest, and British Columbia and Alberta in Canada. Horizon maintains pilot crew bases in Anchorage, Boise, Everett, Medford, Portland, Seattle and Spokane.
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