American Airlines flight attendants picket at O’Hare over salaries, work conditions

CHICAGO — Flight attendants for American Airlines were on the picket lines Tuesday at Chicago O’Hare International Airport over salaries and working conditions.

With operations returning to pre-pandemic levels, picketers say that flights are staffed with fewer flight attendants, adding that they are dealing with long work days, shorter rest periods and more re-scheduled flights. 

Flight attendants also say they haven’t had a cost of living wage increase since 2019, making it more challenging to afford to live in hub cities like Chicago, Miami, and New York. 

SEE ALSO: American Airlines posts $483 million profit for late summer

American Airlines stated in response:

American’s flight attendants are the best in the business, and like all our team members, deserve to be paid well and competitively. We continue to meet regularly with the Association of Professional Flight Attendants to reach an agreement that benefits both our flight attendants and operation, and we respect the right of our flight attendants to participate in informational picketing. Today’s picketing will have no impact on our operation.”

American Airlines said last month that it earned $483 million in its third quarter, a record revenue performance, according to CEO Robert Isom.