American Airlines is upping pay bonuses for pilots at two of its regional carriers for critical periods in July, resulting in triple the hourly wage for those willing to fly during their scheduled time off during the busiest stretch of the summer travel season.
The pay bonuses for pilots at Envoy were first reported by CNBC Monday, and the same deal is being offered to pilots at Piedmont, another carrier wholly owned by American, according to a memo to pilots. The incentive comes after Fort Worth-based American and its subsidiaries already bumped up pay for pilots with a surprise new contract two weeks ago that gave a 50% flying bonus through 2024 along with large pay increases.
The “super critical coverage” pay for the month of July is part of an existing program for pilots, only used for the busiest days because it pays more than $550 an hour for some regional captains, more than even mainline American Airlines pilots make.
