An overwhelming majority of American Airlines pilots have voted to strike over pay and other benefits.
However, the airline says negotiations are ongoing, and has stressed a walkout is not imminent or inevitable.
The Allied Pilots Association, representing 15,000 American Airlines pilots, said 99 percent of votes backed the strike, with 96 percent of members participating.
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Federal law makes it difficult for airline unions to go on strike, but this vote is an expression of pilots’ desire for new contracts.
A spokeswoman said: “The finish line is in sight. We understand that a strike authorization vote is one of the important ways pilots express their desire to get a deal done and we respect the message of voting results.”
The industry-wide shortage of pilots that emerged after carriers encouraged thousands to retire during the pandemic has given pilots more leverage to push for big pay increases and improved working conditions.
Pilots at Southwest Airlines are also set to begin voting on a similar strike authorization measure this month.
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American Airlines had hoped to reach a deal with its pilots last fall, but union leaders rejected a tentative proposal that would have included pay raises of 20 percent over two years.
United Airlines pilots in November turned down a deal that would have boosted pay by more than 14.5 percent over 18 months.
American Airlines has already pledged to match pay increases outlined in a deal that Delta Air Lines struck with its pilots earlier this year.
The deal reached by pilots at Delta set a new high-water mark. It included raises of at least 34 percent over its four-year term.
American CEO Robert Isom quickly responded, telling American’s pilots in a video message in March the airline is prepared to match Delta’s pay rates and use the same profit-sharing formula as Delta’s pilots.
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Mr. Isom said pay increases would total 40 percent on average in the fourth year of American’s proposed deal.
A narrow-body jet captain at the top of the scale would make $475,000 a year by then, and a wide-body captain could earn as much as $590,000.
He said the company would also make significant improvements to the way it constructs trips and other quality-of-life measures pilots have prioritized.
Capt. Ed Sicher, the union’s president, said that while pilots are willing to strike if necessary, reaching a deal for a new contract is still possible.
He said pilots had proposed scheduling and work rules that could benefit pilots and make the airline more reliable.
