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United Flight Attendants’ 2026 Contract: What the $100 Top Rate and Boarding Pay Mean

United’s ratified five-year flight attendant contract adds boarding pay and raises average base pay 31%. The $100 hourly figure is a projected top rate at the agreement’s end.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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United flight attendants have ratified a five-year contract that raises average base pay by 31%, adds boarding pay estimated by the union to increase average compensation by 7–8%, and provides $741 million in aggregate retroactive pay. United says the top wage rate will reach $100 per hour by the end of the agreement—not that every flight attendant earns $100 an hour now.

What the $100-an-hour figure means

United announced on March 26, 2026, that the tentative agreement would bring top wage rates to $100 per hour by the end of the five-year contract. That is a projected top rate at the agreement’s end, not a current starting wage or a universal rate for all attendants. The announcement did not publish the complete wage table, so the figure alone cannot show what an individual will earn based on seniority, schedule, or other pay rules. United’s announcement

How the pay changes are reported

Figure What it describes
31% The union’s reported average increase in base pay, with June and August 2026 raises compounded. AFA ratification announcement
7–8% The union’s average estimate of additional compensation from boarding pay; it is not a guaranteed identical increase for each attendant. AFA ratification announcement
$741 million The union’s reported aggregate retroactive pay. This is a total for the group, not an individual award. AFA ratification announcement

There are two similar but distinct large-dollar figures in the announcements. United’s March tentative-agreement announcement described a $740 million total signing bonus; the union’s later ratification release reported $741 million in retroactive pay. They have different labels and were reported at different stages, so they should not be treated as the same measure. United’s March announcement AFA’s May announcement

Do United flight attendants get paid during boarding?

Yes. Boarding pay is part of the agreement, and the union estimates it will add an average 7–8% to compensation. The available announcements do not state the full calculation rules, so that average cannot be converted into a reliable personal dollar estimate without the contract’s detailed terms and an attendant’s work pattern.

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Boarding is work: cabin crew assist passengers, address seating and carry-on issues, complete safety checks, and prepare the cabin before departure. The Associated Press reports that boarding work had historically gone unpaid at many airlines; Delta introduced boarding pay in 2022, followed by American and Alaska. Associated Press background on boarding pay

What else changed in the contract?

The union’s ratification announcement describes changes to scheduling, job security, benefits, and work rules in addition to pay. AFA’s summary of the ratified agreement

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  • Long sits: Sit pay for scheduled and rescheduled sits exceeding 2.5 hours.
  • Red-eye flying: Restrictions on red-eye assignments.
  • Reserve: Elimination of 24-hour on-call reserve in favor of 14-hour Reserve Availability Periods.
  • Retirement: Increased 401(k) contributions.
  • Family leave: Ten weeks of paid maternity leave and two weeks of paid parental and adoption leave.
  • Other provisions: Increased per diem, improved hotel and electronic-notification language, higher premiums for international purser and language positions, and expanded job-security protections aligned with United pilots, including limits involving Express flying, code, and revenue share.

When the deal was negotiated and approved

The May 2025 tentative agreement was an earlier negotiation milestone, not the agreement ratified in 2026. United and AFA announced it for 28,000 flight attendants, subject to union approval and member ratification. United’s May 2025 announcement

On March 26, 2026, United announced a new tentative agreement for nearly 30,000 attendants. AFA’s update that day described provisions including sit pay for scheduled and rescheduled sits over 2.5 hours, red-eye restrictions, improved base rates, and increased retroactive payments. The agreement still required member approval at that point. AFA’s March 2026 update

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Members ratified the agreement on May 12, 2026: 82% voted yes, with 88.85% of eligible members participating, according to AFA. AFA ratification results

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What the headline cannot tell you about an individual paycheck

The published figures describe average increases, a projected top rate, and group-wide retroactive pay. They do not provide the full wage scale or boarding-pay formula needed to calculate an individual attendant’s earnings by seniority, schedule, and work pattern. The contract also changes non-wage terms—such as reserve availability and long-sit pay—that affect the value of a job beyond its headline hourly rate.

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AFA called the agreement industry-leading in total value. That is the union’s characterization; the published figures here do not establish that United leads every individual pay or benefit measure across airlines. AFA’s statement

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