Flight attendants in North America push for landmark changes in new contracts

The compensation system for flight attendants in the U.S. and Canada is under attack in new contract negotiations that could lead to big pay raises for cabin crews, but higher costs for airlines. Thousands of cabin crews at carriers in both countries are demanding to be paid for more of their hours at work - a fundamental change from how the industry currently compensates them by paying largely when the aircraft is in motion. As U.S. and Canadian carriers negotiate labor contracts, flight attendants are piling pressure on their unions to end the practice of "free work," such as when boarding passengers and waiting around the airport in between flights. A tentative contract agreement presented this week to cabin crews at Canadian leisure carrier Transat AT, for example, is offering pay provisions for tasks that are currently unpaid, according to a person familiar with the matter. Melius Research estimates that offering boarding pay alone will inflate the annual wage bill at US airlines by more than $700m. Holding the line on costs, however, runs the risk of fueling staff resentment and turnover that could cause travel turmoil. Flight attendants at Southwest Airlines rejected a contract deal this month that lacked boarding pay, but would have made them the highest-paid cabin crews in the industry. The carrier reached a $12b deal with its pilots on Tuesday. "We are cleaning up diapers and we are cleaning up vomit without being paid," said one Southwest flight attendant who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal. She said she recently voted against the company's contract offer. "It's time to change the antiquated industry."<br/>