PSA Airlines flight attendants picket to end tiers in aviation

Dallas, TX – On August 18, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) flight attendants and supporters picketed outside of Dallas – Fort Worth Airport to demand an end to work without pay and for pay raises that reflect the work they do. This comes during stalled contract negotiations and the potential to move into mediation in late August.

In Dallas, supporters from Envoy Air, Omni, American Airlines, caterers and others joined in. They were joined by flight attendants picketing across the country in Dayton (DAY), Philadelphia (PHL), Charlotte (CLT) and Arlington (DCA).

Picketers chanted “Honk, honk beep beep, PSA is really cheap” and “What do we want? Contract, When do we want it? Now!” Signs read, “Pay us or chaos” and “No tiers in aviation, same work, same pay.”

“I cannot be fully invested in this job if I can’t pay my bills” said PSA flight attendant Travis Smith. “I’ve been ready to strike.”

Flight attendants in PSA have been in negotiations for two years now. Their demands include boarding pay, which is currently unpaid, yet is often the most challenging part of trips.

PSA is a regional subsidiary of American Airlines. Mainline U.S. carriers, such as American or Delta, have established subsidiary “regional airlines” like PSA to cut costs on lower volume routes. These subsidiary companies operate as separate airlines, despite flying planes with the same paintjobs as their parent companies. Passengers usually don’t know the difference.

Flight attendants on these routes often work longer days filled with shorter flights. They receive far less pay than their mainline counterparts, while performing the same duties and wearing the same uniforms. Aviation unions have criticized this as a two-tier system.

In January of 2025, PSA flight attendants suffered the loss of their coworkers in DCA (Washington National Airport), when a midair collision took the lives of PSA flight attendants Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder. Flight attendants pointed out the insulting disparity between life-threatening work they do compared to the poverty wages they receive.

“We need to stand up for ourselves and show management that we are serious” says PSA flight attendant Jeanne Krejci, “We need to be paid on the ground, we have flight attendants on SNAP, who can’t pay for their bills. We need a living wage.”

Flight attendants are under the Railway Labor Act, meaning that contracts become amendable and are often drawn out. If negotiations stall, they move into mediation for a period of time and if they are unable to reach an agreement, they will enter a cooling off period of 30 days before being released to strike.

Flight attendants at PSA are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA). The AFA is the largest flight attendant union in the U.S. and represents flight attendants at regional carriers for American, Delta, and Alaska Airlines. The AFA is leading the charge in the campaign to end tiers in aviation.

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