Delta Airlines pilots plan to start picketing on Thursday at several major airports including LAX, JFK and Atlanta citing exhaustion and poor work schedules as underlying issues in their push for a pay increase.
According to Daily Mail, the Air Line Pilots Association claimed that roughly 14,000 of its members are working longer hours despite increasing flight cancellations. Jason Ambrosi, a Delta pilot and union official blamed Delta’s poor flight scheduling for an increase in fatigue and the resulting wage demand.
‘The Delta pilots last signed a new contract in 2016 and are currently flying under work rules and pay rates negotiated over six years ago,’ ‘It’s been two-and-a-half-years since our contract became amendable and three-and-a-half years since the Delta pilots last had a pay raise. Meanwhile, our quality of life has eroded due to management’s unwillingness to schedule the airline properly,’
Fox News is reporting that 3.5 million people have booked flights over the Fourth of July weekend and spoke with Airlines for America President Nicholas Calio.
Calio shared, “It’s already been a bleak travel season for the airline industry, which has had to drop 15% of the flights they originally planned for June through August to make the remaining flights more reliable”
With delays affecting nearly 25% of all flights and a 20% average increase in ticket prices, customers are frustrated with flying. Many took to social media to weigh in on why air travel has become more difficult.
One twitter writer took aim at the Biden Administrations and the vaccine mandates imposed on pilots by their companies saying “Lets Go Brandon”
19k flights have been canceled/ delayed since Thursday. 4,200 flights were delayed, 900 canceled on Sunday alone due to shortages in skilled positions!
Biden Admin mandated vaccines for pilots/personnel, many of whom either quit or were fired for refusingpic.twitter.com/ImnEIrI7Di
— Ronald Kelly (@RonK3l) June 20, 2022
Airline workers have also spoken out, sharing frustrations about being short staffed and the regulatory issues they face.
8. When flight crews get delayed we time out. We can NOT fly longer than 16 hours. Its illegal. So it doesn't matter if you have a wedding to get to, when we are done we are done. The way things are now, there are no back up crews, so when this happens your flight cancels.
— KATE🇭🇹 (@kateeya_) June 23, 2022