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Thousands of United Airlines flight attendants will see a change in their paychecks at the end of July 2026, due to the new ratified contract that was agreed in May 2026. Many have been employed on a six-year expired contract with no raises during that time. This includes an increased hourly rate as well as the introduction of boarding pay, which has been a long-sought-after change due to the unpaid duties performed before the pushback of the aircraft.
United Airlines was the last of the major US carriers to reach a post-pandemic labor settlement and better terms and conditions for its flight attendants, after rejecting a previous contract in 2025. This is thanks to the help and negotiations between the airline and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. In this guide, we will look in further detail at the math on what a senior United Airlines flight attendant will earn when the $100.13-per-hour rate lands in July 2030.
The New Contract
According to CNBC, the new contract received 82% approval from the flight attendants, with almost 90% voting. They will receive raises of up to 31% this summer, as well as boarding pay of up to 8% and improved terms and conditions. The five-year contract gives almost 30,000 flight attendants their first raise in 6 years. The Communications Workers of America said that the airline planned to pay $741 million in retroactive pay, among many other improvements.
Also included in the contract are ‘sit pay’, restrictions on red-eye flights, and increases in per diem and 401K contributions. Ten weeks of maternity leave and two weeks of parental or adoption leave have been added, and job security has been improved. The 24-hour on-call reserve has been eliminated and replaced with a 14-hour reserve availability period. Premium pay has been increased for international pursers and language roles according to AFA-CWA.
The new contract works on the premise that a rise in the hourly rate will occur every July 30 for the next five years. In addition, another increase happens when seniority (steps) is triggered on the flight attendant’s date of joining. “The contract will immediately change the lives of United flight attendants, especially our thousands of new hires who have been hired since the pandemic,” said Ken Diaz, president of the United chapter of the Association of Flight Attendants, as told to CNBC.
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The Deep Dive
United Airlines’ new ratified 2026 flight attendant contract (TA2) publishes an hourly ladder, as detailed below. A new hire would start at $37.10 per flight hour, effective May 30, 2026, up from the prior rate of $28.88. At the top of the scale (Step 13 and beyond), flight attendants move from $84.92 in 2026 to a historic $100.13 per hour by July 30, 2030. The five-year deal, agreed to by 82% of voters on 88.85% turnout, also distributes roughly $741 million in back pay.
Using industry-standard 1,200 annual credit hours plus boarding pay (worth 7-8% of compensation) and profit sharing, senior United Airlines flight attendants are projected to earn between $120,000 and $135,000 once the $100.13 rate hits, making a six-figure flight attendant salary an expectation rather than a niche outlier. This overtakes 
Delta Air Lines‘ flight attendants’ top rate of $86.32.
Step | Pre-TA2 | Jun 2026 | Aug 2026 | Aug 2027 | Aug 2028 | Aug 2029 | Aug 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | $28.88 | $37.10 | $38.21 | $39.36 | $40.64 | $42.06 | $43.74 |
2 | $30.64 | $39.35 | $40.53 | $41.75 | $43.11 | $44.62 | $46.40 |
3 | $32.59 | $41.86 | $43.12 | $44.41 | $45.85 | $47.45 | $49.35 |
4 | $34.71 | $44.58 | $45.92 | $47.30 | $48.84 | $50.55 | $52.57 |
5 | $38.25 | $49.09 | $50.56 | $52.08 | $53.77 | $55.65 | $57.88 |
6 | $43.30 | $55.59 | $57.26 | $58.98 | $60.90 | $63.03 | $65.55 |
7 | $48.41 | $61.14 | $62.97 | $64.86 | $66.97 | $69.31 | $72.08 |
8 | $49.96 | $63.10 | $64.99 | $66.94 | $69.12 | $71.54 | $74.40 |
9 | $51.34 | $64.85 | $66.80 | $68.80 | $71.04 | $73.53 | $76.47 |
10 | $53.26 | $67.27 | $69.29 | $71.37 | $73.69 | $76.27 | $79.32 |
11 | $54.73 | $69.12 | $71.19 | $73.33 | $75.71 | $78.36 | $81.49 |
12 | $57.33 | $72.41 | $74.58 | $76.82 | $79.32 | $82.10 | $85.38 |
13 | $67.11 | $84.92 | $87.47 | $90.09 | $93.02 | $96.28 | $100.13 |
Data: UnitedFAContract
A senior flight attendant at United Airlines working on international widebody routes can earn up to $130,000 by the end of the new contract. This includes boarding pay, the international per diem, and incentive pay. Profit share can also increase a flight attendant’s salary, if applicable. Many senior flight attendants are pursers (in-charge crew members) as well, and therefore they also get paid more for the extra responsibility.
Incentive pay can include high hours of flying of over 200 hours in a quarterly period. However, this rate drops with seniority, so it is more preferable to new crew. Extra pay is also offered for trips picked up on days off, for trips that are difficult to schedule, or for trips on unpopular routes. Profit share is paid when the airline posts more than 10 million in pre-tax earnings for the year.
Per diem is paid from the scheduled report time until the return to base. The rate at United Airlines is $2.97 per hour for domestic flights and $3.54 per hour on international flights. These are expected to rise in August 2027 and every two years after that. Meals must be provided for duties over eight hours with a two-hour minimum stop. Hotel and transportation are covered by the airline during layovers.
Looking at two earlier career levels, a new-hire crew could expect to earn between $44,000 and $58,000 in their first year or $3,700 and $4,800 gross (pre-tax) per month. However, they will be working on reserve or standby until they receive a guaranteed line. Mid-career, at around five years of experience flying international routes, flight attendants can earn between $75,000 and $95,000 per year, including per diem, incentive pay, boarding pay, and the hourly rate.
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Quick Facts And Further Findings
The pay scale operates on two triggers: flight attendants advance a step on their hire anniversary, and the entire contractual scale increases annually from July 30 through to 2030, according to unitedfacontract.org. Starting pay for new hires immediately jumps from $28.88 to $37.10 per hour, eventually reaching $43.74 by 2030, as reported on thecabincrewforum.com. Senior crew (Step 13 and beyond) see their hourly rate rise to $84.92 in 2026, maxing out at a historic $100.13 per hour by 2030, as shown on aeroxplorer.com.
The contract also offers quality of life improvements, such as restrictions on ‘red-eye’ flights between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM, where there can be no more than two sectors. Flights that take place between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM also receive premium pay of an extra $.50 per hour.
The reduced reserve availability period (RAP) of 14 hours is not a duty period but is based on blocks: Early (0000-0559), Mid (0600-1159), Afternoon (1200-1759), Late (1800-2359), or full 24-hour availability, if requested. If contacted during the RAP, there is a three-hour call-out period. If a flight attendant is not assigned a duty by the end of the RAP, they are released from contact until they are due back on duty.
The Importance Of Boarding Pay
According to AeroXplorer, United Airlines was the last of the unionized US carriers to reach a settlement post-pandemic. Boarding pay has been a long-standing grievance, which is pay for tasks completed when the aircraft door is open. These include safety equipment and security checks, as well as passenger boarding. Previously, it was standard practice for airlines not to pay flight attendants for this time.
Delta Air Lines was the first airline to introduce boarding pay in 2022, followed by American Airlines and then Alaska Airlines. Boarding pay is paid per flight sector and is based solely on the scheduled boarding time; it is not paid for delays in the boarding process. The boarding pay amounts to an additional 7-8% in compensation.
Boarding Pay according to aircraft type: | Hourly rate % |
|---|---|
Airbus A319/A320, Boeing 737-700 | 29.2% |
Boeing 737-800/-900/-900ER, MAX 8, MAX 9 | 33.3% |
Widebodies, Boeing 757, Airbus A321XLR | 41.7% |
‘Sit pay’, which is unique to United, is paid for time on the ground between flights on the same duty period. If the planned time on the ground exceeds two and a half hours, one minute’s pay will be paid for every two minutes of sit time. This is based on the scheduled times and not the actual operation.
The Bottom Line
The new contract and revised pay schedule will make United Airlines’ flight attendants the best paid in the US. After rejecting previous contracts and a six-year wait, the new TA2 was accepted by 82% of voting members, who approved the contract with an 88.85% turnout, according to afacwa.org.
The contract provides a 31% average initial wage increase, according to cwa-union.org. In addition, the airline will distribute back pay of between $ 740 and $ 741 million. The long-awaited boarding pay adds an extra 7 to 8% in total compensation. New hires will now start at an hourly rate of $37.10 whilst on reserve before moving to a scheduled line, which can take up to five years, depending on base. In 2030, the most senior flight attendants will earn a top hourly rate of $100.13 more than any other airline.
“The United Airlines flight attendant contract now leads the industry in total value for flight attendants, and it should,” said Sara Nelson, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, representing over 55,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines. “We will continue to press forward with all of our contracts and build power with our organizing to ensure flight attendants are respected with meaningful return for our work as aviation’s first responders.”
