United Airlines pilots overwhelmingly voted against a tentative contract offer, signaling possible trouble for the holiday travel season, according to the Daily Mail.
The Air Line Pilots Association said 94% of its roughly 10,000 pilots voted against the contract offer for a roughly 14.5% cumulative pay increase and enhanced overtime and training pay.
So far, overwhelming rejection of the deal has not produced any negotiations, a spokesperson for United's pilots' union said.
"Unfortunately, management has now taken a wait-and-see approach to negotiations instead of leading the industry forward," the union spokesperson told Reuters.
But if a strike moves forward, the decision could cripple the airline industry in the coming holiday season.
During a recent conference call, Delta's CEO made the ambiguous comment that travel demand for the upcoming holiday season would be "very strong."
"It's going to be a very strong holiday season — Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said.
Pilots have complained of fatigue, alluding that thinly staffed airlines require them to work on too many flights.
"The pilot shortage for the industry is real, and most airlines are simply not going to be able to realize their capacity plans because there simply aren't enough pilots, at least not for the next 5-plus years," United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in April, according to NBC News.
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