It's very sad that people on here are trying to say that if we don't earn enough, go elsewhere, or live where we can afford to. When I joined the company I COULD afford to live on my salary, but inflation has gone up every year as has the cost of living and my salary has not.
I think yours is more the exception rather than the rule, as you have been with the company for decades rather than just a few years. Your conditions really have gone on a downward slide; whereas I have issue with those currently burning Virgin flags who have only been in the job a couple of years and the conditions are not much different to those they originally signed up to.
And this rubbish about us having such a glamorous job that we shouldn't complain about terms and conditions is ridiculous! There are many people in the world that have wonderful jobs which include amazing benefits including travel, company cars etc etc, should it be said that they too should work for peanuts because their jobs are so glamorous or they get good benefits?
The fabulous jobs out there that are well paid and have excellent benefits are rare, and normally reserved for the talented few who get (by luck or judgement) to the top of their game. The reality is that the majority of us get by, wondering why there is so much month left at the end of the money. It's pointless getting envious over what someone else has; therein madness lies.
Our job really isn't a bowl of cherries, I've dealt with 2 deaths during a flight, a number of SERIOUS medical emergencies, I've had a bomb scare mid flight and have had to restrain a passenger who was attacking one of the crew!
I don't think anyone disputes that your job can be tough, and as crew you have to cope with a lot of different tasks; but remember that's the job as written on the job description. As I've said before, the reason the pay is low is because the job is in high demand. Every company pays as little as they can get away with, and for crew, that's surprisingly little.
Exactly, sitting in an office with a lunch break and regular coffee breaks pushing a pen or doing whatever it is they're trained to do can really be compared to working on board an aircraft and hence salaries should be equal!
I'm afraid this is slightly offensive. Belittling the work of others just because you don't understand their job isn't fair. I have worked in office environments were there is tremendous pressure on staff - having to deal with stuff that just makes you cry. The sort of job that you only do because it pays your bills (barely), and offers none of the perks of travel, or free time down route, or even a hint of excitement. Do you enjoy being cabin crew? If you say yes (and I suspect you do), then that is a huge benefit over the millions who have depressingly mundane work, commuting daily in the rush hour on overpriced, overpacked sweaty trains to grey offices where their managers have been promoted one level beyond their ability and have zero people skills. Please don't picture all office staff as happy smily people sitting around drinking coffee and doing their nails as though it was a scene from Working Girl.