New Letter of Agreement Squashes Beef Over Code-Share Partnership With American

JetBlue Pilots ratified their a deal with company management, ending their dispute witha letter of agreement that puts the yearlong issue to rest. 

Of the eligible pilot base, nearly 90% participated in the vote, which tallied a 60% approval rating to ratify the pilot's agreement as presented. The deal provides improvements to the pilot's current collective bargaining agreement while giving them significant say in the renewal of the Northeast Alliance, the main point of dispute that brought about the new agreement in the first place. 

The Alliance is an enhanced code-share and marketing agreement between the two airlines designed to increase competitive parity against the larger legacy carriers in the New York and New England areas. In 2021, JetBlue pilots voted down a letter of agreement that would have allowed the company to continue the full Alliance, feeling that the extra workload and responsibility were not beign recognized and repaid with sufficient compensation.

“Since the NEA was announced in the summer of 2020, JetBlue pilots have enforced their contract and, when necessary, disputed the Company’s ability to enter into this code-share agreement with American Airlines without the consent of the pilots,” said Captain Chris Kenney, chair of the ALPA JetBlue unit. “Letter of Agreement 17 not only gives the pilot group a voice in this alliance and its continuation, but also provides improvement to our current pay scale and sick-leave policies.”

“We’re pleased that we were able to come to a mutually beneficial agreement with management,” continued Kenney. “This cooperation bodes well as this pilot group begins negotiations for our second collective bargaining agreement.”

FMI: www.alpa.org