United Airlines to Offer Pilots New Deal Worth Over $8 Billion

United Airlines announced that it had offered its pilots a contract worth over $8 billion over four years, making it the largest labor deal ever offered by a carrier in the United States.

According to Reuters.com, United Airlines Holdings CEO Scott Kirby told Bloomberg News the offered deal has “an incremental value in excess of $8 billion over four years.” Kirby also said the company has been negotiating with the pilots’ union “weekly to reach a formal agreement.”

While Kirby revealed the proposal would mark the largest labor deal ever offered by an American airline, the CEO provided no further details “on the value of the pay, benefits and quality-of-life improvements.”

Kirby did say the offer “would top the recent deals agreed to by its two biggest rivals,” including the $7 billion in higher pay and benefits offered by Delta Air Lines to their pilots’ union earlier this year.

In recent months, pilots in North America have been pushing for better pay and working conditions as shortages have caused significant issues for airlines, forcing companies to meet employee demands.

In May, a new bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate aimed at addressing the pilot shortage and improving diversity in the years to come. The Flight Education Access Act seeks to increase the limit for individuals taking out student loans to pay for flight training while also increasing diversity within pilot training programs.