James7, I disagree with the amount you quote for new starter cabin crew. Last month, whilst still in my probation period, I took home £812 basic salary. In addition to that I earned the following rough estimate of allowances :-
MCO $120
JFK $160
JFK $160
LAX $220
The only costs which I feel it is fair to deduct from allowances when calculating how much I "earned" in the month is the food which I purchased whilst away which probably came to $150 maximum.
Doesn't look too bad now does it ??? A basic salary of £812 and then take home allowances of $510 ....
I recently left a job earning £19,800 and the amount I earned each month was not far off this. Okay, so with the allowances it is cash in hand and not paid into our bank accounts ... maybe if VAA did that then people would start to realise exactly how much we are earning each month.