As far as I know that is the best deal that any airline has been awarded this year and indeed significantly better than nearly all other sectors of UK industry.
Not quite NSF but not bad either. I think you'll find the latest Virgin Atlantic pay deal probably eclipses the easyJet one. From what I can find out it is a rise of something like 12% over 18 months and they still are contracted to fly
only 750 hours a year. Add to that an increase in Loss of Licence protection, health insurance that covers their basic salary AND their hourly flight pay and improved pension.
Latest figures I can get hold of show the following pay scales for Virgin Atlantic flight crew as at 1st july 2006:
Year 1 F/O: £44,624 plus £16.90 per block hour = £57,299
Year 1 Cpt: £74,291 plus £26.00 per block hour = £93,791
Year 10 F/O: £57,00 plus £16.90 per block hour = £69,675
Year 10 Cpt: 92,779 plus £26.00 per block hour = £112,279
Basic and hourly pay goes up again in January 2007 and july 2007 respectively.
Loss of Licence insurance as follows:
From July 2006; F/O: £113,375 Cpt: £175,000; From July 2007; F/O: £130,000 Cpt: £200,000.
I'd join them, if I could, only for the 750 hours per year. Everything else is icing on the cake.
And before the detractors and anti-union muppets jump in, this level of pay is only achievable by having very high Balpa membership, a very talented negotiating team and an airline that is profitable.