Virgin Atlantic Salary/Allowances.

[Crew Use Only]

Sorry to ask a pretty personal question about pay, etc. Hope someone can advise me.

I'm a number one with 8 years long haul experience and I'm on a decent salary after so long.

I still LOVE everything about flying and the lifestyle I have, but am now looking to other airlines as I am now really concerned about the future of the airline I am with and dissatisfied with quite a few issues.

I'm now thinking very seriously about 'jumping ship' to a different carrier. Virgin appeals to me and I have a lot to offer the airline if they will hire me.

I know I will inevitably take a pay cut (which I am prepared to do) but is virgin's flight pay REALLY as bad as some people say??

I have heard many many different explanations from the crew I have met and spoken to downroute - some say yes, the pay is awful and they struggle all the time to run a home/car and live well bringing home no more than £1,200 a month, Others say it's not all that bad !! Certainly all the VS crew I know seem to do ok - even with commuting (£200ish a month!)

I average about £400 - £450 a month flight allowances at the mo which is fine - thats working one trip a week (perhaps a couple of US nightstops and maybe a longer caribbean trip). Obviously it can go up or down if I get longer or shorter trips (same with Virgin I imagine?)

Is the pay based on cost of living in the hotel downroute?? I use my flight allowances to pay bills at home sometimes so is it really worth changing it back into ££'s, because I may have to...!!

If anyone can help me with this before I put the effort into an application form (on it's way) and waste my time and Virgin's resources I'd be really really grateful.

Thanks in anticipation.

[glamourgirl!]

Hi I was also a supervisor within a different airline and decided to jump ship. Two years on and Im really happy and I definatley made the right desicion. You have to way up the pro's and cons. Ok the money could be better but the lifestyle and conditions and perks and opportunities are fantastic and thats what attracted me to Virgin and originally why I wanted to be cabin crew. I was promoted to a senior just after a year( which is a doddle!) Im sure with your experience you will be noticed and 'fly' up the ranks. Ive just cleared £1050 ( lowest for a few months) and have 5x 1 nighter trips ( mco= $144 jfk $266( vs3) iad $188 bom£80 bgi £120 .)
The hardest thing was getting through training without trip pay and allowances I remember clearing about £600( my motgage is £577!!) So be warned its not easy at first but I think for the amount of work I do as a senior (very little) I get quite well paid and have a great quality of life !
Good luck x

[eman75]

Thank you for that open reply Glamourgirl, Virgin appeals to me as well so much and I am currently waiting for an application form from them,

However, I also worry about how I am going to pay my mortgage in the event that I am successful, so your open reply really does help a lot!

Unfortunately, I dont have any knowledge of the industry and how the salaries work etc. just wondering if you would mind clarifying something for me, and I hope you don't mind me asking, as I want to be clear about my projected earnings; when you say:

Ive just cleared £1050 ( lowest for a few months) and have 5x 1 nighter trips ( mco= $144 jfk $266( vs3) iad $188 bom£80 bgi £120 .)

Does that mean that you received £1050 and in addition $144 + $266 etc? or do you mean that your total earning were £1050 including $144 + $266 etc?

Also, I assume 1 nighter it means that you are away for one night, during that night what are you expected to pay for? e.g. hotels? food? etc...

Also, in terms of recruitment, do you know whether me being 31 would go against me with VA? Although, I do take care of myself, dont smoke and dont drink much and try to keep fit etc, so I don't look my age but just wondered what their preferences are when it comes to this subject,

All your comments and wisdom will very much be welcome, thank you in advance :ok:

[Crew Use Only]

Glamourgirl - thanx so much for your help and opinions - I really appreciate it - particuarly as a former #1 with another airline!! I'd love to know who you flew for but obviously best to keep these things anonymous! (i'll bet we worked for the same!)

I was out with to a friend who used to fly with me (as a junior) but flies with VS now, and yeah he was honest and said the money isn't that good and are the WORST during the first 6 months. His credit cards are maxed.

Lets face it - we crew all live to our means !! WE all like to shop, have a nice home and drive a nice car. Reassuring to know it can be done though. I'll have to economise!

I am just so utterly sick of my existing airline faffing around (a first after 7 yrs of service - and believe me, I'm Mr Positive..!!) I'm 30 now and after flying for so long it's a decision not to be taken lightly to want to "jump ship" and join a new airline !!

I think I'm going to apply (they may say no!) tighten my belt money wise and hopefully look forward to a brighter and not so worried long term future and career with an airline who means business, and as you say has good prospects.

Thanks again X

[glamourgirl!]

Just to clarify: my salary was £1050 plus the allowances downroute to pay for food ( hotel paid for by the company) and age 31 certainly wont go against you whatsoever.( remember though this is a seniors wage, as a junior I always cleared around £880 plus the allowances.)

If you are really concerned about the dosh I would seriously consider the worlds favourite as I know their allowances are alot higher than vs and they seem to get big bucks for things like delay pay, crew down and box payments for long-long flights.

Good luck with your descicion.

[eman75]

Thanks again Glamourgirl, and apologies to you and crewuseonly for coming into your conversation,

I really appriciate your advice and info. I have decided to apply to both VA and BA, the worlds favourite are only recruiting for the Gatwick fleet which does not have many long hauls which is what I am after, never mind, nobody said I could have everything, decent dosh and long haul trips, anyways, let's see how it all turns out,

Thanks again ;)

[Virgin Boi]

I'm also a senior at Virgin, this month I cleared £1,039 and have...

LAX ($240)
UVF (£200)
EWR ($180)
Stand by
EWR
EWR again.

[apaddyinuk]

Its probably not such a good idea to be openly discussing salaries on a public forum lads and ladies!!! Just a thought!

[TightSlot]

Paddy's correct. If you must, then it's up to you, but some things are better kept to yourselves - just a thought...

[Virgin Boi]

I see your point guys, however, I wish someone had given me such accurate information when I was looking at joining a company!

[naughtybutnice]

I THINK ITS A GOOD IDEA PEOPLE GIVING THE IDEA OF HOW MUCH YOU WILL BE EARNING BECAUSE THEY DONT TELL YOU EXACTLY AT THE INTERVIEW ON HOW MUCH YOU WOULD GET WITH ALLOWANCES...

IVE GOT BA CREW AND IM DEF TAKING THAT INSTEAD OF EVEN WASTING THE INK ON MY PEN FOR VIRGIN APPLICATION:ok: .. GREAT PERKS AT VIRGIN BUT WHATS THE POINT WHEN YOU DONT EARN ENOUGH TO SPEND...

[TightSlot]

No need to SHOUT!!!

Advice was offered - nothing more, or less. Sometimes there are other reasons for joining a company than just salary. In your case, clearly not. Experience shows that posted salary details is rarely helpful and often inaccurate.

Now sit down, have a cup of tea and try and relax a bit...

[naughtybutnice]

im not shouting at all... didnt realise that CAPS comes across as shouting...:ugh:

had an early shift so therefore am kinda tired oops:{

[eman75]

Although I respect the views suggesting that salaries should not be openly discussed, I am curious as to the reasons are?

As I said before I do not know much about the industry, so are there any kind of consequences to discussing your salarie in this industry? if so what kind?

I also understand that sometimes the figures suggested might be inaccurate because of varying contracts, different circumstances etc, and that needs to be taken into account by the person asking the question; I guess the point I am trying to make is that there appears to be an issue about transparancy when it comes to salaries and if there is nothing to hide, why hide it? If the person does not mind being open and choose to talk about their salary, what is the issue?:confused:

It just really helps people who are trying to get into the industry to make a more informed choice, that's all. The airlines are very ambigiuos on the subject as well... so it is difficult to make financial decisions that can affect your life in the short/long terms as unfortunately the world does move with money...

I just want to reiterate my thanks to both Glamourgirl and VirginBoi for the open and honest responses, :ok:

[apaddyinuk]

Well Eman, it may surprise you to hear but many people consider their wages a personal thing. They do not want people discussing how much they earn as it is private. Secondly , if anything should ever occur within the company people can use these figures against the employees for whatever reason that may be, it has happened before and certainly happens in BA regularly and occuring at the moment with all the newspapers claiming that the "over" paid staff are now recieving a bonus!!! Im certainly not over paid and badly need to bonus.
Finally, if you really want to know the salaries there is nothing wrong with asking people to PM you but they should not be posted for all to see!
These are only some of the more obvious explanations but there are plenty of other reasons why this info should not be so publicly quoted.

[Boofers]

Naughtybutnice: Im interested in what you have to say about BA salary. To me, Salary IS important (and I'm not shouting by the way!!!;) ) just wondered - are you BA heathrow/ gatwick/ manchester etc etc? I'm currently at Virgin - lovin' it, but hatin' it at the same time!! Have thought about taking the job I was offered with BA, but most people say its 'the same s***, but different uniform'. What's your take on it? (or anyone's for that matter!)

[vincente]

Hi Guys i got the job with VS & Air NZ....

I do not know which one to accept :confused: as the money is not good in VS but the destinations are fab and conditions are good also i want to commute from france ....

Air NZ is better paid but not much .....

WHAT SHOULD I DO HELP !!!!!:{

[Crew Use Only]

I opened my thread with an apology for asking a 'personal' question about salary. Can't force anyone to reply if they feel I was being out of order for asking!

It could be extremely serious to me if I take the renumeration figure given at interview to be accurate and feel much happier (and very very grateful) that VS crew have been helpful and honest - probrably having themselves been in the same situation as me.

Air crew are a nice, good natured helpful bunch - mostly - we have to be to do the job we do, and I'd be quite happy to discuss my pay and conditions to anyone if it would help them make a decision, etc.

As a new user I thought this was just the place to make such an enquiry myself.

Thanks again to the people who replied to my post. I appreciate your feedback on a 'private' subject!

Perhaps any future info could be sent as a private message?

Will keep an eye on it in case anyone else responds.....!

[Trishaturbulance]

Hey Guys,

Well I've just passed my probation at Virgin, and am quite happy to share with you that whilst on probation I cleared at least £900 in the bank, but generally took home more than this depending on commission and crew down payments etc. Obviously the allowances are the same whilst on probation as the info given above, I've been bringing back around £200 - £300 after spends, depending on where i've been and what i've been up to (although I do tend to do 1 or 2 MCO's per month, so this figure could probably be a little better!).

I'm much happier now than at my previous airlines, but I do agree with the point that if money is an issue then maybe you should try BA? Although as somebody said, they are currently only recruiting for LGW and I've heard from several sources that the pay there isn't any better than at Virgin (please don't shoot me if i'm wrong! :O )

[misslouise]

What happens in MCO??!

[misslouise]

How many nights is $144 for?

What's the best destination, in terms of allowances?

[FCOLOVER22]

i agree with apaddyinuk about revealing salaries here as it is a personal matter....the one thing i can say is for sure we earn much more than virgin but they do have great staff travel benefits but then again, thats life, and we have options. So u have to grab what best suits you a good salary with average benefits or a ''crap'' one with good benefits? i will sure take the first choice. happy flying to you all, regardless of choices. life is full of good and bad experiences and we grow with them.

happy flying

[keeperboy]

I think it is difficult for anyone to get an idea of an 'average' monthly salary on here becuase with airlines so much of the pay is variable.

I am BA LHR L/H. Yeah, on a good month (a few box payments, long range flights) the money is GOOD.

But I could also end up with a roster of say Standby, a JFK n/stop, a BOM and a NBO. Then my money would be dire.

Lets face it, no matter how much you are earning you will never have enough. The more you earn the more you spend. I'm still always skint! LOL

[keeperboy]

I'm much happier now than at my previous airlines, but I do agree with the point that if money is an issue then maybe you should try BA? Although as somebody said, they are currently only recruiting for LGW and I've heard from several sources that the pay there isn't any better than at Virgin (please don't shoot me if i'm wrong! :O )

BA has just recruited a couple hundred crew on 6mth temp contracts on LHR WW. Word on the street is that once their 6 mths is up they will be offered LGW single fleet or the door.

Money @ LGW LH is not great. There is no long range flying with the exception of IAH which 'Box 1' (bout 100 squid extra). The only destinations are in the US and Carribean so meal allowences aren't great either. To give you an idea, I used to make more on LHR SH than I did at LGW LH.

The conditions/lifestyle were good at LGW tho. Lots of nightstops, all of which were followed with a minimum 3 clear days off (plus the arrival day) once home.

BA management have cottoned on to these benefits tho. :-(( LGW LH is merging with LGW SH to make 'single fleet' many of the conditions at LGW (min 3 days off after trips etc) will go as well. This is due to happen in OCT. Conveniently the same time that the LHR WW temps contracts will be up and the LGW WW crew will transfer to LHR WW. ;-)

[FCOLOVER22]

i must disagree with this last post saying that lgw salaries aren't great...

although i have said that discussion of salaries, in my opinion, is something personal, this last post has kind'a made me write this...and change my postion in not saying what can be earned here....
i have been in lgw longhaul for 9 months and i can tell you that if i add all 9 months together, the average would be 1650 and last month i got 2100 after tax and the month before 1850pounds. So seeing that the average is 1650 is not so bad. I was in eurofleet for 6 months and not one single month did i make it past the 1777 mark and this was with overtime. But....remember one thing....in eurofleet the law states the limit of flying monthly hours of 168 and in longhaul it is maximum of 60-80hours. so if u earn 1650 for 60 to 80 hours work, isnt it better than working 150 for example to get the same? Even if you got 2000 for those 150 hours, the comparison to 1650 for 60 to 80 hours isnt gonna work out better in lhr eurofleet,is it? so just to say, lgw lh isnt as bad as some heathrow people may put it, and i have spoken with many people from lhr longhaul and they say that it isnt much more unless u have those box 3 and 4 payments which may bring it up by a couple hundred more. Consequence of lhr lh, is longer duties, more of your money spent down route, consequence earn less in the end....
It isnt that bad down here and soon most of us will go to lhr and see the real thing, then we can post here to a more accurate standard.

thanks and happy flying

[Crew Use Only]

Thanks, Amtba.

Your post states exactly my concerns about joining Virgin. It is not the travel benefits that appeal to me, nor even the large route network (ive been lucky to have seen a lot of places over the past 10 years) but I just want an airline with proper drive, organisation and direction which my airline at the moment does not (and has no hope of achieving soon without a miracle!) but the way I perceive it as an outsider (maybe someone will correct me) virgin does have this!!

Someone commented the other day that all Virgin crew either live "at home" with their parents or have rich partners who will sub their meagre wage which I think was a rude and unjustified comment as surely things are not that bad - I have noticed most Virgin crew seem happy and motivated and most I have bumped into downroute have been friendly and good fun.

I've accepted I'm never gonna be rich (or I woudln't be crew!!) but I really think I need to tighten my belt and economise and start fresh with a new carrier ASAP and get my foot on the ladder again - and quickly!

Of course I will have to suceed at the interview but although there are a couple of schools of thought about airlines hiring experienced crew (especially if I don't have a very good reason why I want to leave the airline I am with!!) I think my chances are ok as Virgin seem to be expanding so rapidly - much more than other carriers.

Of course I'd love to fly for my countries national flag carier but that will take time to be hired then get Long Haul again - and I'm not getting younger!

[galanjal]

Well Eman, it may surprise you to hear but many people consider their wages a personal thing. They do not want people discussing how much they earn as it is private. Secondly , if anything should ever occur within the company people can use these figures against the employees for whatever reason that may be, it has happened before and certainly happens in BA regularly and occuring at the moment with all the newspapers claiming that the "over" paid staff are now recieving a bonus!!! Im certainly not over paid and badly need to bonus.
Finally, if you really want to know the salaries there is nothing wrong with asking people to PM you but they should not be posted for all to see!
These are only some of the more obvious explanations but there are plenty of other reasons why this info should not be so publicly quoted.
oh for heavens sake dont be so precious! if people choose to talk about their own salaries that is entirely up to them. if anything these type of discussions only go to show how woefully underpaid most crew are! so please unknot the knickers, get down from the podium and leave people to discuss what they want

[jayneella]

I agree, let people discuss what they want to, it's up to them!

xxx;):D