Service workers take on American Airlines’ ‘piggy bank’

SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION

A service worker at Charlotte Douglas International Airport holds a sign during a rally on Dec. 18, 2025. Workers with American Airlines contractors want the city of Charlotte to push for better pay and benefits in their airport lease negotiations with the carrier, which accounts for 90% or passenger traffic.

Service workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport want a better deal from American Airlines.

Workers allied with the Service Employees International Union are pushing city leaders to push American, which serves 90% of Charlotte Douglas’ passenger traffic, for better subcontractor pay and benefits in their lease negotiations with the carrier. The union contends American’s dominance means depressed salaries, which are as low as $12.50 an hour.

“Too many of us are still struggling just to survive. I know what that struggle looks like. I’ve lived it. I’ve gone from staying in a storage unit, to an extended-stay hotel, to sleeping in my car,” said Timothy Lowe II, a high lift driver who services American planes. “There are workers who keep this airport moving every single day and can’t afford a place to live—let alone a ticket to take a vacation.”

Contract workers have long insisted on better pay, staffing upgrades, improved work conditions and benefits at Charlotte Douglas. City Council blocked a proposal earlier this year that would have required airline contractors to do that.

American contract workers from cabin cleaners to baggage handlers contend their wages don’t cover basic necessities. Nearly 40% report having housing insecurity that necessitate living with friends and family or short-term rentals.

As workers gathered Thursday at the airport to demand changes, they cited a report by Amsterdam-based New Soil Analytics that shows Charlotte Douglas passengers pay some of the highest nonstop domestic fares in the United States. 

"American Airlines can no longer use Charlotte as their piggy bank,” said Niecy Brown, district director of SEIU Workers United North Carolina. “CLT should be an economic engine for everyone—not a near monopoly where both travelers and workers are fleeced. As the city negotiates a new lease with American, Charlotte residents deserve transparency, a public process, and a deal that truly benefits the community."

According to New Soil Analytics, Charlotte Douglas travelers spent $3.26 billion more on nonstop domestic flights from 2015-24. The report found average fares to and from Charlotte were 33.4% higher than the average for comparable travel in U.S. airports over the 10-year span. Passengers paid as much as 42.3% more in 2018 and 20.4% more last year.

Flying to and from Charlotte Douglas cost passengers an average of $119 more per round-trip ticket over the decade than at comparable airports with an accumulated $5.62 billion more than they would have if Charlotte fares matched national averages. Of that total, $3.26 billion was paid by travelers who live in the region. 

Charlotte Douglas, the world’s sixth-busiest airport, is the cheapest major U.S. airport for airlines to operate out of, the study found. In 2024 aircraft traffic increased 11%, which benefited American’s bottom line of a record $13.7 billion in fourth-quarter revenue and $54.2 billion in 2024.

Airport workers propose a new long-term lease with American with revenue sharing for gate access, operating fees, and future airport development projects. The city allows airlines to keep 40% of the net remaining revenues generated by passenger spending on concessions, parking, and airport kiosks.

They also want the city to greater transparency in the lease negotiations and allow a 90-day public review period.

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