Flight Options Pilots Ratify Contract

Last week, nearly four years after they voted in a union, the pilots at Flight Options approved their first contract with the fractional provider. Pilot-management relations improved when company founder Kenn Ricci returned as chairman in July 2008 and vowed to work with the union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1108, which reached a tentative agreement with the company in January. Then, on March 31, the agreement was ratified by 88 percent of the union's members. According to the union, the agreement gives pilots an immediate salary increase, longevity increases, additional paid time off, job-security protections, an expanded basing system and a grievance and arbitration process. IBT 1108 president Mat Slinghof said the contract resulted from "thousands of hours of work and a joint commitment to the success of our pilots and the company.