American Airlines Flight Attendants Want To End Archaic Pay System Which Means They Aren’t Paid During Boarding and Deplaning

Flight attendants at American Airlines want to be paid for the time they spend boarding and deplaning passengers, which has gone without remuneration in the past.

More than 150,000 people signed a petition to end the work practice after an online campaign started last month.

In the past, the lack of remuneration for boarding was balanced against the total compensation package which can be highly attractive, but now many flight attendants believe the amount of work required during boarding qualifies them for additional pay.

The amount of time spent boarding a domestic flight has increased by around a third in the last decade, according to flight attendants.

The pre-departure beverage service was reintroduced by AA in February, but some crew members refused to offer the service in defiance of not being paid.

Along with demanding to be paid for boarding, the union has also asked AA to consider paying flight attendants a supplement for working redeye flights.

As an international flight attendant, Maszczynski worked for the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying for a well-known European airline during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Matt is an expert in passenger experience and human-centered stories. Constantly keeping an ear close to the ground, Matt's industry insights, analysis and news coverage is often relied upon by some of the biggest names in journalism.