Airline Industry Salary Tools Key Terms

Learn about some of the key terms associated with working for a major airline

By Jason Wood

The airline industry negotiates contracts with unions who represent pilots, flight attendants and other workers. These negotiations define a whole host of terms that affect the salary tools a worker in the industry might be trying to understand. Take the time to learn some of these airline industry salary tools key terms so that you'll be able to properly understand the language as it is negotiated in upcoming contracts. Here are some of those terms along with some helpful resources to help get you started.

Dues

Dues refer to an amount of money most airline employees must pay to their union for representation. This money is usually deducted monthly. The union negotiates an overall contract with the airline in return for their monthly payment.
Try: Visit the website for the United Airlines Association of Flight Attendants for an explanation of the responsibility of dues according to a charter.

Salary continuance

A salary continuance refers to the continuation of an airline employee's salary after he or she has been laid off. Sick time and vacation time may also accrue during this period. If and when the airline re-hires that employee, sick time and vacation time may be re-granted if they were not used to supplement income at the end of the salary continuance.
Try: Visit the American Flight Attendant's Union associated with US Airways for a further discussion of salary continuance and how it operates.

Base pay

Base pay refers to the amount of pay given to an airline employee before bonuses, overtime or other monetary perks. Base pay usually increases each year that an employee works for an airline.
Try: Visit the website for Northwest Airlines Association of Flight Attendants for an explanation of how base pay operates.

Monthly minimum guarantee

The monthly minimum guarantee relates to the amount of hours a flight attendant or crew member is guaranteed to work. Other aspects like minimum accrual of vacation time, sick time and pension qualifications are often factored into the monthly guarantee.
Try: Visit the website for AFA Council 66 for additional information on what a monthly minimum guarantee entails.

Deadhead pay

Deadhead pay refers to money earned when the airline requires the crew member to travel on a flight they are not working on. This is often done so that a flight attendant can work a flight in another city. Compensation is usually about half of the normal hourly wage.
Try: Visit the website of Air Wisconsin MEC Association of Flight Attendants for a further explanation of deadhead pay.

Furlough

Furlough, in relation to the airline industry, refers to a forced leave of absence. This is usually done when an airline is experiencing financial difficulty. Furloughs may be short and sporadic, meaning they occur once a month, or they can be several months long. The airline usually hopes to end someone's furlough and return them to work when finances improve.
Try: Visit Airline Pilot Central for an additional discussion about furloughs.