Hawaiian pilots ratify new contract

Hawaiian Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, (ALPA), have ratified a new five-year, three-month contract worth US$1.2bn and containing 42% more value than the existing pilot working agreement (PWA). Of the 97% of the pilots who voted, 76% cast ballots in favor of the agreement, which will take effect on April 1. The new PWA includes substantial pay raises and improved work rules, while leaving in place favorable vacation flexibility, sick leave accrual, and pilot-friendly health-care premiums. The agreement includes pay rates backdated to September 2015 that will immediately increase pay for the airline’s 665 pilots between 20% to 45%, depending on an individual pilot’s seat, years of service, and aircraft type. By the end of the contract in 2022, overall pay rates will have increased between 36% and 86%.