United Airlines pilots approved a new contract with compensation increases of as much as 40.2% over the four-year contract, making the carrier the last of the three largest US airlines to seal a deal with its aviators during an industry shortage. The deal is worth about $10b, according to the Air Line Pilots Association, the pilots’ union. ALPA said on Friday that the new contract won 82% approval from the more than 97% of United pilots that voted on it. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines pilots approved new contracts earlier this year, also with big raises. The Covid-19 pandemic derailed negotiations across airlines but pilot and other labor unions in the industry have been pushing hard for increased compensation and better work rules since travel demand bounced back and inflation surged. Other unions are also pushing for improved pay and benefits, calling for strikes or potential strikes when negotiations fall short of demands.<br/>
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Air Canada pilots staged a protest at Toronto's Pearson Airport on Friday, demanding better pay and benefits as talks over a new contract covering 4,500 pilots at Canada's largest carrier continue. Canadian pilots are pressing for higher salaries and better scheduling after US counterparts at companies, including United Airlines, Delta and American Airlines, made historic gains in new labor deals over the last few months. North American airlines have been grappling with challenges in recruiting enough trained pilots and crew members as they aim to capitalize on the strong surge in international travel demand following the pandemic. "We have quite a few issues we need to address in terms of career progression, our job security, and aviation safety. We have to close the growing wage gap between us and our American counterparts," Chair of the governing body for the airline's pilots union Charlene Hudy told Reuters. Currently, the union is actively engaged in negotiations with Air Canada, and it anticipates that these discussions will persist throughout the entire month of October, Hudy added. Air Canada's pilots have received a 2% wage increase per year since 2014. The country's inflation rate was running at 4.3% in March, a 19-month low. "We are still early in the bargaining process and Air Canada remains engaged in productive discussions with ALPA," the carrier said on Friday. The pilots for the Montreal-based carrier, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) union, began bargaining for new labor terms this summer.<br/>
Two groups of investors, including US private equity group Apollo Global Management, are bidding for Scandinavian airline SAS, Norwegian daily Aftenposten reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources. It was not immediately clear who was leading the second group of investors, the newspaper added. Scandinavia's biggest carrier filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States in mid-2022 after years of struggling with high costs coupled with low customer demand brought on by the pandemic. Sources told Reuters in early May that Apollo hoped to take a majority stake in the Nordic airline. SAS had said that any bids in an equity fundraising would need to include the Danish state, which currently has a 22% stake.<br/>
Airline alliances expand the opportunities for using your frequent flyer points. With the right alliance partner airlines, your next holiday could be in New Orleans, Istanbul or the Seychelles, all on points, but which of the big three airline alliances are you using to bank your airline points? The choice will probably hinge on which airlines you are most likely to use to spend those points, but there are also perks and privileges that apply at each alliance membership level, bringing benefits such as speedier check-in and even lounge access across the alliance member airlines. Story has details about each.<br/>