ATLANTA—Pilots at Delta Air Lines easily approved a new contract that will raise their pay by more than 30 percent over four years and likely lead to similar agreements covering union pilots at other major U.S. airlines.
The Air Line Pilots Association said 78 percent of Delta pilots who voted supported the contract. Delta has about 15,000 pilots.
Smaller airlines face a shortage of pilots as major airlines recruit from their ranks. While the biggest carriers say they have enough pilots, the shortage has given unions leverage to bargain for rich pay increases. The union said the Delta deal will lead to a cumulative $7 billion in pay raises….