Airlines
AFA-CWA Adds Full Support to JetBlue-Spirit Airlines Merger
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), representing 5,600 Spirit Attendants, reached a tentative agreement with Spirit Airlines to increase wages by 10-27 percent immediately, continue raises locked in for the next two years, and other immediate improvements for Flight Attendant schedules and quality of life. The directly elected Flight Attendant AFA-CWA leaders at Spirit voted to approve the tentative agreement for membership ratification and support merger of jetBlue-Spirit.
Biden administration moving toward blocking JetBlue-Spirit merger(Opens in a new browser tab)
Before they are made public, full details of the agreement are being compiled for distribution to Spirit Flight Attendants in the coming week. The tentative agreement is subject to membership ratification.
AFA-CWA strongly supports the jetBlue-Spirit merger for these reasons:
Immediate Raises Now: They have reached a tentative agreement with Spirit to, upon ratification, increase wages by 10-27 percent immediately, continued raises locked in for the next two years, and other immediate improvements for Flight Attendant schedules. This was a significant investment in workers and showing of good faith from an airline that has yet to return to profitability in the wake of the pandemic.
No Furloughs or Displacements, Added Job Security: They have a written commitment from jetBlue that becomes effective post-merger and includes no-furlough protections, a commitment to seniority integration under the law that protects the seniority each Flight Attendant has accrued at their respective carries, no displacements, and a “second bite at the apple” through an expedited process for joint contract negotiations ensuring that Flight Attendants further improve wages and working conditions by sharing in the value created by the merger.
Added Competition: The jetBlue-Spirit merger will add competition to the current dominance of the four airlines controlling 81 percent of the entire market and increase access to Flight Attendant jobs that provide pay, benefits, and working conditions among the best in the industry.
No Two-Tiered Employment: jetBlue does not currently utilize the regional business model, where Flight Attendants are paid on average 45% less, and has no plans to introduce it with the merged carrier. This is significant as it adds access to good aviation jobs and sets a new model that will pressure other airlines to compete with jobs set to the highest standards.
Far Better Working Conditions: The jetBlue-Spirit merger will result in reconfiguration of all Spirit aircraft from 28” seat pitch minimum (worst in the industry) to 32” seat pitch minimum (best in the industry), creating a better cabin environment for Flight Attendants and passengers alike. Cramped conditions often contribute to passenger anger and far too frequent abuse of frontline workers.
Airlines
First Look: IndiGo Takes Delivery of A321neo with New Business Class
India’s largest domestic airline, IndiGo (6E), celebrated its 18th anniversary in August 2024 by announcing a major upgrade: a new Business Class product called “IndiGo Stretch.”
Now, the airline has officially taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo aircraft fitted with these premium seats. Registered as VT-ICF, this first A321neo with the new configuration took off from Hamburg (XFW) at 6:06 PM local time, operating flight 6E9001.
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The launch route for IndiGo’s A321neo with IndiGo Stretch seats will be from Delhi to Mumbai, starting November 14, 2024. After this initial route, the airline plans to expand the offering across its network.
Airbus completed the final assembly of this special aircraft in Hamburg, where the A321neo Final Assembly Line is located. Enthusiastic planespotters got a sneak peek of the new IndiGo Stretch interior before the aircraft’s official delivery to India.
Tobias Gudat, a planespotter on X.com, captured images of the aircraft, still marked with its test registration, showcasing its fresh Business Class interior.
Adding a distinctive touch, each IndiGo aircraft featuring the Stretch product will have the slogan “IndiGo Means Business” displayed on the fuselage, signaling a new era of premium travel for the airline.
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IndiGo took delivery of the A321neo with the Stretch seats on October 30, 2024, coinciding with Airbus’s delivery of the world’s first A321XLR to Iberia.
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