Sarah Lee makes $28,000 as a flight attendant for the American Airlines-owned PSA Airlines, which serves more rural communities.
She told KERA News she struggles to pay her bills.
"They keep us living in poverty," she said.
Lee and other union PSA Airlines flight attendants and members of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants stood outside Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Monday in the 95 degree heat to demand better pay, benefits and work-life balance.
"They tell you you need somebody at home to help support you, but the job requires that you're gone five days out of the week, and it's set up so that you can't have a normal home life," she said. "You can't have a successful relationship because you're never at home."
The protest came amidst ongoing negotiations with PSA on a new contract.
Negotiations started in July 2023 and will continue later this week in Washington, D.C., union representative Jeanne Krejci told KERA News.
PSA told KERA News in a statement the company looks forward to future negotiations, and Monday's protest will have no impact on their flight operations.
"Today’s demonstration is one of the important ways flight attendants express their desire to get a deal done — and we share the same goal," the airline said. "With the support of the National Mediation Board, we continue to meet regularly with the AFA and have made progress toward reaching an agreement that our flight attendants deserve."
PSA Airlines is a subsidiary of American Airlines, and most customers won't notice when they're on a PSA flight. The airplane and flight attendants' uniform are all American Airlines branded. But PSA flight attendants make 40% less than mainline attendants, according to the PSA flight attendant union.
Krejci said they are currently being offered a 7% pay increase, which they won't accept.
"We need to be able to afford to live and right now we can't," she said.
Krejci explained flight attendants are not paid during boarding — which can include helping people with their luggage, assisting people who need special accommodations or preparing pre-flight drinks.
"Everything that we do once we get to the airport, prior to closing that door on the airplane, is not paid," she said.
Some flight attendants work 14 hour days and even sleep in the airport to meet tough flight schedules, she said.
The protest comes as American Airlines' busy summer travel season is underway with 715,000 flights scheduled, according to the airline's website.
The largest airline in Canada, Air Canada, is largely grounded right now because of a flight attendant strike, according to NPR. American Airlines could be similarly affected if PSA flight attendants go on strike, which they voted last year to do if necessary.
Sarah Lee said she and other attendants will need more than just a pay increase — there needs to be a better work-life balance as well.
"You can't have a healthy marriage, you can't have a healthy relationship, you can't raise your kids and all of this we give up," she said, "to do what we love."
Dylan Duke is KERA's Fall news intern. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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