PHOTO: American Airlines has given its pilots and flight attendants a raise. (photo via Flickr/Oliver Holzbauer) American Airlines has decided to give its pilots and flight attendants an early Christmas gift.A pay raise.Despite the fact the airline has an existing contract with its pilots’ union, the carrier is raising their pay between seven and 8.7 percent, dependent upon seniority.And while there is also a contract in good standing with the flight attendants, American decided to raise their pay between 4.2 and 6.5 percent. The flight attendants had previously asked for a mid-contract negotiation to have their pay more in line with industry leaders Delta and United. Flight attendants lost an arbitration hearing two weeks ago and reluctantly accepted a 1.6 percent increase based on the ruling.MORE Airlines & AirportsBut American CEO Doug Parker decided to increase pay anyway after the compensation gap between American and the other airlines grew to a wider discrepancy.“While the commitment was met when the contract was signed (in 2015), we never anticipated this large of a gap for this long a period, and we don’t like that it exists, contract or not,” he said in a letter to employees. “Therefore we intend to work with the unions to adjust the hourly base pay rates of all American pilots and flight attendants to levels that are equal to the highest rates currently in place at either Delta or United.”American has recently been under fire for a series of complaints about its allergy-inducing new uniforms, with flight attendants and pilots voicing their collective disdain. Perhaps this new raise is a way of trying to smooth those issues over while a long-term solution is still being sought.READ MORE: American’s Pilots Hate Their New Uniform Too Association of Professional Flight Attendants Bob Ross praised the move.“Last month, when arbitrators handed down a ruling that left us lagging behind other carriers, we told management flat out: That’s unacceptable. Failing to invest in the people who take care of passengers – under conditions that grow more difficult every day – is no way to run an airline,” he said in a statement.“To their credit, American Airlines management listened.  Building on today’s big win for flight attendants, we’re going to keep speaking out about how to improve our jobs and improve conditions in our industry.  We expect management to keep listening – because that’s the right way to run an airline.”Allied Pilots Association president Dan Carey said in a statement the pay increase represents a welcome initiative by management.“This kind of collaborative, problem-solving approach will definitely help foster the culture change that has been a stated goal of both management and APA since the merger of American Airlines and US Airways,” he said.