The Air Line Pilots Association said 92 percent of the pilots who voted to support the measure. ALPA represents 1,700 ASA aviators.

"Our pilots have been in contract negotiations for nearly four years, despite the fact that our company continues to post profits and issues nothing but good news to the financial world," Capt. David Nieuwenhuis, chairman of ASA's executive council, said Tuesday.

Sam Watts, vice president of people at Atlanta-based ASA, acknowledged it is unusual for negotiations to go on so long. But the company, which flies as a Delta Connection feeder carrier for Delta Air Lines, must have a labor agreement that permits it to stay aloft in the unstable airline industry, he said.

"The company continues to work with ALPA's leadership to reach an agreement that will provide fair compensation, along with other changes . . . that address issues important to ASA pilots and provide a competitive cost structure to the company," Watts said.

Although the two sides haven't negotiated since May and no talks are scheduled, a strike is not imminent. Before that could happen, the National Mediation Board would have to declare a stalemate and call for a 30-day cooling off period, ALPA spokesman John Perkinson said.

He said pilots are seeking "moderate" increases in pay, retirement benefits and insurance benefits, while ASA "basically wants to maintain the status quo, and is actually looking for reductions in CRJ-700 [aircraft] pay rates," Perkinson said.

A reduction would move CRJ-700 pilot pay closer to what pilots who fly smaller CRJ-200 jets earn, Perkinson said.

St. George-based SkyWest bought ASA from Delta in September, shortly before Delta filed for bankruptcy. The ownership change has improved the negotiating environment, but hasn't led to a breakthrough, Perkinson said.

"Certainly, for a long period, when ASA was a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta, negotiations just stagnated. Management just dragged their feet. They are now coming to the table. They are prepared. They are engaged, but we still are not making the progress that we would like to be making," he said.

ASA earned an operating profit of 13.1 percent during the last quarter of 2005, according to the U.S. Transportation Department. The company does not report net income.

The regional airline flies to 154 airports in 41 states, including Salt Lake City International Airport; Washington, D.C.; Canada; Mexico and the Caribbean.

ASA's hubs are in Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Cincinnati.

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