Northwest pilots authorize strike while flight attendants reach deal

Josh Roberts believes the best trips involve long hikes and muddy boots. His life goals haven't changed much since he was a kid: He still wants to be Indiana Jones when he grows up.

Follow him on Twitter (@joshwhowrites) and Instagram (@joshwhowrites), and visit his website (joshrobertsbooks.com) or Goodreads page to learn more about his forthcoming novel.

Josh joined SmarterTravel in 2001, and is an active member in both the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

In addition to SmarterTravel, he has written for USA Today, The Boston Globe, Yahoo! Travel, The Huffington Post, Airfarewatchdog, TripAdvisor, Jetsetter, ABC News, Oyster, and Business Insider. His travel photography can be seen in Britain and Ireland's Best Wild Places, published by Penguin UK.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "A lacrosse ball. It's small, lightweight, and works wonders on loosening up tight muscles."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Being the first to discover an ancient lost city. Failing that, visiting as many of the already-discovered ancient ruins as possible."

Travel Motto: "Not all those who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle."

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It’s good news/bad news on the labor front. First the good: The Professional Flight Attendants Association to which Northwest’s flights attendants belong yesterday reached an 11th-hour agreement with the airline that averted a potential strike by nearly 10,000 attendants. While no specifics were disclosed by either side, the deal is reported to arrive at the $195 million annual savings Northwest sought.

The airline failed to reach any agreement with its 4,800 pilots, however, and that’s bad news. Now the pilots’ union has authorized a strike if Northwest gets the court approval it’s seeking to void the pilots’ existing contract and impose new terms.

Northwest got itself into this mess, and now it wants its employees—the people who actually fly the planes and deal with customers on the front line every day—to get it out of it. No dice, say the workers.

As I mentioned earlier in the week, Northwest is looking to cut total labor costs by about $1.4 billion. No one wants it to come to a strike, least of those of us who are frequent travelers. A strike does no one any good in the long run. But $1.4 billion? Shame on Northwest for getting itself to this point in the first place.

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