Southwest Airlines is close to reaching a deal with its pilots union that could prevent a strike during the busy holiday season.
The union has announced that they have reached agreements with the airline on pay, retirement benefits, and other important matters. However, they are still working on finalizing the implementation schedule. The agreement will still need to be ratified by union members, and no specific details have been disclosed.
If the agreement is approved, the airline will avoid a strike by 11,000 pilots.
This potential agreement comes shortly after Southwest reached a deal with its flight attendants union, which included a 36% pay increase for them.
Southwest is one of the last major airlines that is close to finalizing a contract with its pilots union. Delta, American, and United have already reached historic agreements with their unions this year, significantly raising the industry standard wage.
A deal reached at Southwest would bring an end to a long and contentious negotiation process, during which the union threatened to strike multiple times.