United offers pilots triple pay to cover flights amid ongoing omicron disruptions

United Airlines is offering its pilots a three-fold increase in pay to help cover employee shortfalls as the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 continues to wreak havoc on industries worldwide.

The Air Line Pilots Association announced this week that it had reached a payment agreement with the company for covering flights throughout the month of January. 

"Due to the rapid spread of the COVID Omicron variant, we are currently seeing record levels of pilot sick calls," the union wrote to members. "The impact on the operation is clear and United has experienced a correspondingly large number of cancellations over the past week."

Flight attendants are also getting a pay boost from United and other airlines as the companies struggle to stay ahead of the employee shortages that across most every industry last year.