India, May 12 -- Flight attendants at United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) have given the green light to a new five-year contract that promises an average pay increase of 31 percent by August, finally breaking a nearly six-year stretch without raises for the airline's approximately 30,000 cabin crew members.

According to the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, 82 percent of those who voted approved the deal, with nearly 90 percent of eligible attendants casting their ballots. The union and United came to a tentative agreement back in March after the attendants turned down an earlier proposal last year.

The contract also includes $741 million in back pay and a total compensation increase of around 7 to 8 percent. Another key feature is t...