Southwest Airlines has reached agreement on a new labor contract with its mechanics just days after the flight attendants’ union rejected a company proposal. Southwest said Friday that a tentative new contract with the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association would give its mechanics industry-leading compensation. Across the airline industry, revenue is rising as travel recovers from the pandemic. Unions are pushing airlines for better pay and benefits, even raising the threat of strikes to make their case. At Southwest, leaders of the union representing more than 18,000 flight attendants voted this week to reject a tentative contract that its own negotiators reached with the Dallas airline and the help of federal mediators. The company said the deal would have raised pay 15%. The flight attendants are working under wages and other terms contained in a contract ratified in 2016. By federal law, contracts in the airline industry do not expire, and it is difficult for unions to conduct legal strikes. Pilots at Southwest, United and American are still negotiating with their airlines. American announced a tentative deal with pilots last month, but the offer hasn’t gone to a ratification vote while both sides haggle over language and timing of some provisions. The Allied Pilots Association said Friday that American management “is simply unwilling to agree to be held accountable for the commitments it has made.”<br/>
unaligned
Iraqi Airways has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787, one of 10 that the Baghdad-based airline has on order. The Iraqi government originally reached the agreement for the twinjets in late 2009. “As domestic and international air traffic gains momentum, it’s crucial that our Iraqi Airways fleet matches growing demand with more efficient, capable and comfortable airplanes,” says the airline’s director general, Manaf Abdel-Monem. The 787-8 (YI-ATC) is fitted with General Electric GEnx engines. Boeing’s backlog figures indicate the carrier is taking nine 787-8s and a 787-9. Iraqi Airways says the twinjet has been configured with 266 seats in two classes, including 24 seats in the business cabin. It was flown from the Charleston assembly plant and landed in Baghdad on 22 June. Iraqi Airways has been undergoing a fleet modernisation which also involves introduction of Boeing 737 Max and Airbus A220 jets. Boeing says the airline has 16 Max jets on order, of which 10 are the 737 Max 10. The other six are Max 8s, of which the carrier has received four.<br/>