NEW YORK — [Yesterday] the JetBlue Airways pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), responded to JetBlue’s fourth-quarter earnings and outlook for 2025 with a call for management to come to the negotiating table with contract terms that reflect this improving financial picture.
“As JetBlue continues on an upward path toward sustained profitability, it is imperative that management recognize its pilots—who are at the operational forefront of the company's JetForward initiative—with a contract reflective of our contributions,” commented Capt. Wayne Scales, chair of the JetBlue ALPA Master Executive Council. “Our peers at other airlines have made significant improvements in pay, work rules, and benefits—while JetBlue pilots lag.”
JetBlue Airways' fourth-quarter revenue was better than expected, and management forecasts a positive operating margin for 2025. In addition to financial improvements, the company also reported strides in on-time performance and customer satisfaction.
Following a failed merger attempt between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines, JetBlue pilots have been in contract negotiations under Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act since April 2024. The current pilot contract becomes amendable on February 1, 2025.
“When announcing their financial numbers, the company touted its JetForward strategy as the key to making big steps forward toward profitability,” continued Scales. “They also need to make big steps forward toward a pilot contract.”
To download the company’s 8-K filing with the SEC, visit the JetBlue Airways website.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 79,000 pilots at 42 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org or follow us on Twitter @ALPAPilots.
