Pilots at Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are now reviewing the terms of a proposed Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA). The Alaska and Hawaiian Master Executive Councils (MECs) of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) have approved the tentative agreement (TA) and sent it to both pilot groups for a vote. If ratified by a collective vote of the two groups, the TA would become a single contract for the combined pilot workforce.
The MECs and the six-member Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) released a 76-page TA Guide outlining the changes. Negotiators used the Alaska collective bargaining agreement as the base document and folded in key provisions from the Hawaiian Pilots’ Working Agreement. Joint bargaining with Alaska management began in February 2025, following a merger first announced in December 2023.
Pay and overrides
New pay rates take effect January 31, 2027, with annual increases through 2030. A 12-year widebody captain (B787, A330 and A330F rates are banded) would earn $493.41 per hour in 2027, rising to $539.16 in 2030. A 12-year 737 captain would move from $401.09 to $438.28 over the same period, and a 12-year 737 first officer from $273.94 to $299.34. New rates are also set for the B717, 737 MAX 10, and A321neo.
The agreement adds a Market Rate Adjustment for all fleets: each year, rates move up to the average of American, Delta, Southwest and United on comparable equipment, or rise 3 percent, whichever is greater. A new late-night override pays an extra $14 per hour on segments operating between 0200 and 0345, and it stacks with international and ETOPS overrides. Pilots would also participate in the company’s performance-based pay program, which targets a 5 percent payout.
Retirement and scope
Company 401(k) contributions rise to 18 percent for all defined-contribution participants, and the company takes over plan administrative costs. On scope, the permitted share of small capacity-purchase aircraft drops from 43 percent to 40 percent of the mainline fleet, Alaska must operate at least 94 percent of domestic code-share and interline segments, and the contract requires two pilots in the flight deck at all times.
Travel and quality of life
Per diem is set at $3.33 per hour domestic and $3.58 international for 2026, then indexed each January to IRS meal and incidental rates. Business class or better is required for deadheads over five hours, deadheads over three hours followed by a flying segment, and any deadhead during the window of circadian low. Lie-flat seats are required for domestic deadheads over eight hours and international deadheads over six. The company would also reimburse two FAA medical exams per year, passport renewals and required visas.
Duration and next steps
The JCBA would run four years, becoming amendable January 30, 2031. The full contract language and an industry pay comparison are available to pilots through the merger site at alahal.alpa.org. Ahead of voting, the MECs plan to release podcasts, an FAQ and other materials, and to hold virtual and in-person roadshows across domiciles.
Source: ALA-HAL JCBA Tentative Agreement Guide, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines Master Executive Councils, Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l. More at alahal.alpa.org.
