United Airlines to open 2 new pilot bases as contract talks drag on

United Airlines will open new pilot bases in Florida and Nevada next spring. The move comes as contact negotiations continue after pilots rejected a previous agreement in November. The Chicago-based carrier plans to open a new crew base in Las Vegas with 204 pilots, and Orlando with 300 pilots next May — its first in nearly 20 years — United Managing Director of Flight Crew Resources Zach Shapiro told crews in a memo Wednesday viewed by Airline Weekly. Pilots in both bases would exclusively operate the Boeing 737, of which United few 389 aircraft and had orders for another 353 at the end of September. The Orlando domicile could also include pilots based at the nearby Tampa airport in the future. The bases, which could make life easier for United pilots living in the Las Vegas or Orlando areas, come amid contentious contract negotiations with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The current contract became amendable in 2019. A tentative agreement that the airline and union reached in June was overwhelmingly rejected by pilots last month with many demanding higher raises. And United pilots picketed at the airline’s hubs for the first time in nearly a decade in November. Pilots at American Airlines have also picketed as talks between the carrier and its pilots union, the Allied Pilots Association, continue. And at Delta Air Lines, its ALPA-represented pilots in November authorized a potential strike if the carrier and union cannot reach a deal. The situation airlines face is complicated by complaints of overwork by some pilots during the pandemic recovery, as well as the shortage primarily affecting US regional airlines. <br/>