United Airlines Accused of Hiding $1 Billion in Unpaid Crew Costs

Labor leader says United CEO Scott Kirby is failing to reach industry-leading labor deals unlike American Airlines' CEO Robert Isom.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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According to Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, United Airlines is hiding at least $1 billion in annual crew costs because it is not paying for a new contract and flight attendants are massively underpaid compared to their counterparts at American Airlines. Nelson criticized United CEO Scott Kirby's leadership, saying he is failing to reach industry-leading labor deals unlike American CEO Robert Isom.

Why it matters

This dispute highlights the ongoing tensions between United Airlines and its flight attendant union over compensation and working conditions. It also raises questions about United's financial transparency and whether the airline is prioritizing shareholder returns over fair treatment of its frontline workers, who are crucial to the airline's operations and customer experience.

The details

Nelson says United is hiding at least $1 billion in annual crew costs because it is not paying for a new contract with flight attendants, who she says are massively underpaid compared to their counterparts at American Airlines. She criticized United CEO Scott Kirby, saying he is failing to reach industry-leading labor deals unlike American CEO Robert Isom. United has said its labor costs were factored into 2025 results and are accounted for in 2026 projections, but Nelson disputes this, arguing that United flight attendants do not receive certain benefits like boarding pay that American flight attendants do.

  • In August 2021, the United flight attendant contract became amendable.
  • In July 2025, United flight attendants rejected a tentative contract agreement that offered 27% raises.
  • The next round of mediated talks between United and the flight attendant union is scheduled for March 3 through March 6, 2026.

The players

Sara Nelson

President of the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents about 50,000 flight attendants including 30,000 at United.

Scott Kirby

CEO of United Airlines.

Robert Isom

CEO of American Airlines.

Micheal Leskinen

United Airlines CFO.

Nathan Lopp

United Airlines vice president of labor relations.

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What they’re saying

“If you want to be industry leading, you have to be the highest paid. He keeps the money in his pocket.”

— Sara Nelson, President, Association of Flight Attendants (Forbes)

“Scott Kirby keeps saying that if our people are happy, they are going to make our customers happy. If he believed that, he would do what Robert Isom is doing. One knows how to do labor deals and one doesn't.”

— Sara Nelson, President, Association of Flight Attendants (Forbes)

“We're focused on delivering a contract with immediate, industry-leading pay for flight attendants at every step of the pay scale, from new hires to our most senior employees.”

— Nathan Lopp, United Airlines Vice President of Labor Relations (Forbes)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This dispute highlights the ongoing tensions between United Airlines and its flight attendant union over fair compensation and working conditions. It raises questions about United's financial transparency and whether the airline is prioritizing shareholder returns over the wellbeing of its frontline workers, who are crucial to the airline's operations and customer experience.