apologies for thread drift !!
Dunno about Virgin pilots, but the cabin crew got pretty short shrift from the cuddly Mr B when they last threatened strike action. He stated '"For some of you, more pay than Virgin Atlantic can afford may be critical to your lifestyle and if that is the case you should consider working elsewhere,"' The cabin crew settled in 2008 for the two-year deal - a 4.8% pay increase, followed by a rise in line with inflation.
BA's current offer of 5.9% across two years looks pretty good by comparison.