AMSTELVEEN- KLM (KL) and the trade unions have reached an agreement on a new collective labor agreement (CAO) for the airline’s pilots, with salaries set to rise by 4.75 percent over two years. The deal also widens the scheme that lets pilots buy cheaper tickets.
The breakthrough follows long and difficult talks shaped by KLM’s lower profitability compared with sister airline Air France (AF), rising costs at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), and higher fuel prices. The pilots’ union VNV called the outcome “balanced,” though members still need to approve it, Financieele Dagblad reported.
KLM Pilot Gets 4.75% Pay Rise
The agreement raises pilot salaries by 4.75 percent across two years. It also broadens the existing benefit that allows pilots to purchase discounted airline tickets.
Under the new terms, pilots can receive ticket discounts for up to four years after the retirement age of 58, according to VNV chairman Ruud Stegers, who spoke to Financieele Dagblad.
VNV is the largest trade union representing airline pilots in the Netherlands. The deal covers around 3,600 pilots at KLM. The previous collective labor agreement for this group expired in March of last year, leaving pilots without an updated contract for an extended period.
A Long and Difficult Negotiation
The path to this agreement was neither quick nor smooth. Talks dragged on for many months, and pilots threatened to strike to push their demands forward.
KLM initially refused to raise pilot salaries at all, citing its financial position and a broad drive to cut costs.
KLM’s profitability sits well below that of Air France, and the airline has been looking for ways to reduce spending. The war in the Middle East added further strain by pushing fuel costs significantly higher, making KLM cautious about new wage commitments.
The Ground Staff Comparison
A key point of tension was fairness across staff groups. KLM ground staff had already secured a 3.25 percent salary increase under a separate two-year labor deal.
Pilots and their unions argued it was unfair for pilots to be left out after ground workers received a raise.
The unions had earlier used a similar fairness argument in reverse. When pressing KLM to lift ground crew wages, they pointed out that pilots had received €29 million in returns in January of the previous year. That argument helped move the ground staff negotiations forward and later strengthened the pilots’ own case.
Union Calls the Outcome Balanced
Stegers described the result as a “balanced agreement” given the pressures facing the airline. He pointed to KLM’s financial situation, the high costs of operating at Schiphol, and the increase in fuel prices as factors that shaped the final terms.
The result reflects a compromise between KLM’s need to control costs and the pilots’ push for pay parity with other staff. Both sides accepted limits, producing terms that the union considers reasonable under current conditions.
The agreement is not yet final. The trade unions involved must still present the deal to their members for a vote. Approval by the membership will determine whether the new collective labor agreement takes effect for KLM’s pilots.
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