The truth about Profit Sharing

Profit Sharing was introduced in 2007 as part of an agreement between Delta pilots and management. Delta pilots offered compensation cuts in exchange for profit sharing, helping Delta survive the financial crisis of filing for bankruptcy.

Our current Profit Sharing formula follows the 2023 ALPA pilot contract, which currently Delta management matches for non-union employees. 

In late 2015 Management announced a raise, yet that raise coincided with a SIGNIFICANTLY reduced profit sharing formula for all of 2016 earnings and 9 months of 2017 earnings.

Delta pilots didn’t experience this change because their profit sharing formula was locked in their contract.

Union Pilots maintained the original profit sharing formula and still negotiated raises and retropay, while the rest of us without saw over a 50% cut in our profit sharing payouts in Feb 2017.

Profit Sharing is often used by management to compare our overall compensation with flight attendants at other airlines when it is convenient for their narrative.

Not only do all of our unionized peers enjoy profit sharing at United, American and Southwest, they also enjoy the peace of mind of having it locked in with a contract.

A contract can define profit-sharing language and secure reliable and consistent sources of income:

These improvements provide financial stability and reduce dependency on unpredictable factors like profit-sharing.