Flight attendants at American Airlines are demanding that they be paid for the time they spend boarding and disembarking customers, which has previously gone unpaid.
The demand was made by the flight attendant union during contract negotiations with American Airlines in response to direct feedback from members who want the outdated rules altered.
In just a few days, an online campaign to stop the work practice gathered more than 150,000 signatures.
Flight attendants are expected by their employers and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to be present for boarding in order to conduct crucial safety-related responsibilities, however, they are not compensated for this time.
In the past, the lack of boarding compensation was weighed against the whole compensation package, which may be rather appealing.
However, many flight attendants now believe that the amount of labor they have to do during boarding qualifies them for more pay.
According to flight attendants, the time spent boarding a regular domestic flight has increased by around a third in the last ten years.
At the same time, flight attendants must cope with a slew of additional challenges, including increased hand luggage and enforcement of face mask compliance.
AA also restored its pre-departure beverage service in February, after some crew members refused to provide it in protest of not being paid.
The union has requested American Airlines to consider paying flight attendants a premium for working redeye flights in addition to demanding that they be compensated for boarding. Both offers are still on the table, and AA has yet to respond with a counter-proposal.
