United Management Announces New Cabin Seats while Demanding Concessions from Flight Attendants
NEW YORK CITY (May 13, 2025) — United Airlines management today announced new premium cabins while continuing to demand concessions from Flight Attendants in negotiations this week.
“Service doesn’t happen without us,” said AFA International President Sara Nelson and United AFA President Ken Diaz. “United has the money to invest in an industry-leading Flight Attendant contract with ‘premium’ compensation, work rules, and cabin interiors.
“CEO Scott Kirby can roll out all the new product announcements he wants — it means nothing without respect for the people who deliver it. New cabin interiors – if done with our involvement – can be helpful for doing our jobs and we want happy passengers. But a new aircraft cabin doesn’t pay rent, allow us to come to work without stress over paying our bills, attract new applicants, or give us the schedule control we need to have a life. Scott Kirby can’t promise a product without the people who deliver it.”
Negotiations are continuing in Chicago this week as part of three weeks of back-to-back intensive bargaining supposedly intended to move to a tentative agreement.
“No other Flight Attendant contract across the industry in this round of bargaining included concessions. Not one,” continued Nelson and Diaz. “Today’s announcement adds insult to injury. Scott Kirby has no business demanding concessions while stuffing his own pockets with gold and beating his chest about United being the best. Right now, he’s just beating competitors by failing to pay us – the people who make United fly.”
United CEO Scott Kirby has received a 246% increase in compensation in just the last two years while leaving Flight Attendants nearly four years past due on a raise and contract.
“If Kirby wants to reach true #1 status, it starts with delivering the #1 contract for 28,000 Flight Attendants today,” Nelson and Diaz concluded.
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The Association of Flight Attendants is the Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for over 79 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Over 55,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
