indamiddle... how did you come up with that figure of $7000 for overtime?

PS indamiddle... thanks for your input... what's your thoughts on the conditions for those wanting to join QF on the 'b' scale?

the $7000 figure was provided by the union.
the overtime figure is apparently based on double time where duty exceeds 12 hours, this would be on both lax sectors with syd, currently 15:35 to lax,16:00 back to syd. double time and a half after 14 hours, 7-8 trips to lax per 8 week roster for 10 and a half months, 6 weeks leave, i'll let u figure out the maths...good luck.
as far as 'b' scale goes the A380 flying is the way to go, less allowances, overtime etc on the 747,767,A330 as "b' scale get the remainder of whatever flying left over after 'a' scale have had their pick at it which means lots of perth returns on the 747-300. that flying really sucks. next most likely trips u would get is j'burg, max time zone change of any trip on our rosters, poor allowances, work your ring off.
'a' scale rostered up to 200 hours, 'b' scale rostered 220-240, there is an element of burn out here but that would depend on the individual.
have not heard yet if 'b' could transfer to shorthaul after 2 years, if so and on full s/h pay and conditions would be the way to go. doubt the company will allow this back door to stay open if it isn't already shut. hope this helps

made a mistake in my calculations
approx $8000 a year meal allowances on A380, cash in hand, not $16000
my apologies to all
significantly less than $8000 on 747/767/330 due perth returns and jo'burgs

So do we think it would be worth hanging around and waiting for V Australia or trying our luck with QF Long Haul?? I know we don't know details of V yet, but financially etc do yu think it would be a step backwards going to QF?

Well the company is saying February recruitment for V Australia... as such I'd say the basic conditions/pay would be outlined then. QF are looking for crew for a June start, so at this stage I think they'll both recruit at the same time... they are accepting interest online. Alot of VB crew are talking about this QF opportunity as well so seems like a bit of interest.

If you're Melbourne based, those overtime allowances increase to in excess of $12k for A380 LA runs based on a 16.15hr duty MEL-LAX and 17.25hr duty LAX-MEL and brings an overall gross earning to nearly $60K which is what current DJ CC would be getting on the domestic network. Double time and a half kicks in for hours worked in excess of 14hrs. In addition, at QF you're eligible for free home transport to and from work for duties in excess of 14 hours which makes it an attractive package.

I guess only time will tell... anyone know anymore about V Australia, I presume a similar structure to QF long haul in terms of crew structure on board, Manager, Supervisor then Crew. I would also say looking at JQI pay rates... you wouldn't be getting anymore than what are now... if not less.

PS... what is happening with the crew bags... and the Xmas present for that fact? :)

indamiddle, $8000 slip money does not sound a lot. i made near $15000 last year flying qf short haul. maybe the pay here is not as good as it sounds? cheers and thanks for the info. gigs

gigs I think I got just over $9k in overnights last year as DJ CC. Thats over 100 overnights being paid at the $90-95 rate which is laid down by the ATO. Does your amount include the TAFB pay that you recieve at QF?
Anyway this financial year I am averaging about $4400 per month clear with an average of 9 overnights. So I am happy to stay SH unless that amount were to rise to say $5000-6000 clear per month as LH.
I am sure QF will get people for there LH CC project but I doubt people who are looking for more money will jump ship. When you realise you are working as hard as the person on the other end of the cart but for half the pay other jobs will look more appealing.
As far as the transport to and from the airport I would say that V would have to do that to keep the OH&S people happy. It would be hard to explain why you lost a crew member to fatigue when QF LH looks after there crew in this way.

Transport Issue
 

Just a suggestion about the transport idea that has been brought up in discussions...

QF LH get provided with transport after certain sectors

Based on th OH&S rationale that has been brought up what happens to the poor JQ International crew that still operate a back of clock Denpasar return and have to drive home afterwards?

Would be very interesting to see what V Australia does? I wonder if UA crew would get taxis to their home after the flights ex SYD or would they have to drive to their residence aswell. Same principle for NZ crew on arrival back home from Canada and US, do they get taxi's as well?

A UA CC friend is not entitled or offered for that matter any home transport, and I would highly doubt V Australia would do this, if they have to, then MEL based DJ CC should get it after the 9.45hr duty red eye PER-SYD-MEL and the PER-SYD-BNE for that matter.

In terms of slip allowances, at QF you'd be looking at about 47 MEL-LAX returns in a 12 month period based on A380 only runs, at US$117 per slip, or AU$139 per slip times by 2 slips per trip times by 47 trips equals AU$13,066, without factoring 6 weeks leaves, so minus 12.5% for the year based on no allowances during leave would give you the figure of $11,433.

Wirginblew... bear in mind BNE based crew must be getting alot more overnights than MEL, you'd be lucky to clear $2200 a f/n down here, average anywhere between $1800-$2000. Face it, the pay and conditions at the moment at VB are very good, there's no chance you'll make the equivalent as B scale QF crew of V Australia crew for that fact. You might as an InFlight Manager or InFlight Supervisor at V, but no way for InFlight Crew.

Based on calculations I pulled straight from the EBA, here is what QF LH CC on a B scale have the potential of earning as a MEL based crew member on the A380 utilising all 6 weeks annual leave. This pay rate is also based on a report time of -90mins before flight time and an automatic sign off time of 30 mins after chocks on, on arrival. Of course if report time is set at -75 before departure then overtime rates will be slightly affected by about gross $700 a year.

Based on 17/DEC/2008 wages (this includes a 3% inflation increase on the incidentals allowance):

SALARY $34479
OVERTIME $10273
PORT A/L $10482
INCIDENTAL A/L $3245

TOTAL ANNUAL GROSS $58,478

The total would be almost dollar for dollar for a MEL based VB CC member, obviously more overnights in BNE would mean less money, but bear in mind that JQI earn slightly less than VB S/H crew... who's not to say that after this precident has been set that V Australia wont do the same, I mean after all they need to be profitable as well.

As well with the QF transport offer, MEL based crew doing these LA runs would be eligible on all trips based on the duty hours and the requirements set out in the eligibility section of the new, QF EBA, which based on $120 return in cab fars based on a city destination could really add up in a crew member's favour, and considering the price of fuel, a guarenteed home transport option for the next 5 years based on the validity of this EBA could be really attractive to potential candidates.

Just my thoughts anyway, nothing gospel! :)

PS. Any rumours about the B777 doing SYD-LAX-SYD then a SYD-PER-SYD to make full utilisation of the aircraft aren't possible due to size restrictions on the VB side of the domestic PER terminal.

Happly flying!

Thanks for all the info transcontinentalcc........you've been most helpfull!!!!!

Not necessarily... it could easily be sold as a continuation of SYD-LAX-SYD operating out of international terminals at both airports - and I believe it could still carry domestic pax too (eg QF51 SYD-BNE-SIN used to/still does(?) carry domestic pax SYD-BNE, operating out of international terminals at both airports).

Yeah good point Sinala... mind you, you would hope they didn't do a SYD-PER run as that would reduce your layover in LAX I would suppose... 4 QF 744's spend the day in LAX at the moment just to operate the return flight home, you would hope for layover's sake V Australia would do the same!

And - do you really want to be doing SYD-PER-SYD returns!!

2 months to go til Feb when they plan to start selling seats...can't wait to find out the product details...it's very secretive...the people working in long haul wont disclose even the tiniest little detail even to staff!!

If you check Wikipedia, it lists the destinations that V Australia has applied for:
I wouldn't be surprised if you see a triangulation of the LAX/SFO/LAS services somehow - eg SYD-LAX-LAS, SYD-SFO-LAS... or, alternately, to make a daily LAS service worthwhile - send it through to JFK ie daily SYD-LAS-JFK. I doubt V Australia would be able to fill a daily B773ER to either JFK (I know it wouldn't go direct to JFK anyway, but work with me here) nor LAS - so a SYD-LAS-JFK may well work quite well - leaving the SYD-LAX and SYD-SFO seats all open to be sold as point to point, rather than having a percentage taken up by guests connecting through to JFK.

As for the SYD-PER-SYD (if it does happen), they would be rostered day trips out of SYD I would imagine - not a continuation of the LAX trip.

Yeah the SYD-PER-SYD would be on a night rotation to fit in with a trans-pacific run. Also bear in mind that Wikipedia is user generated information, so anyone can add whatever they like, would be great if any of that info is true... I would love to see a SYD-LAX-SFO rotation... NYC would be even better, but look it's all speculation until public announcement.

back to the Christmas present..... I think Virgin are extremely generous with their Christmas presents each year. Though I particularly took a liking to the magazine subscription we were offered last year (in addition to the 6 bottles of plonk).

Any idea on if we are getting the mag subscription again?

It's pretty late notice to do the mag subscription. Only 5 more working days before the Xmas break.
They did do the traditional 'check your address in Vpay so your wine appears' email though

Ye we've always had our presents by now...I wonder whats going on? I wonder if we may be getting something a little diff this year than the normal delivery to our door...perhaps some type of staff travel offer? Just a thought...but ye as 737opsguy said they did ask us to confirm our addresses

hi wirgin blue and friends,thanks for all the info. wirgin, the 15000 dollars is based on current figures of 4.93 per hr day allowance tax free. i think the pay you guys are getting at v/blue sounds great and all staff are the same that is no mams contracts a,b and, c full time ,part time,ex long haul, new ex long haul minus band payments and ,ex australian airlines. at v/blue all staff sound like they get good money and are the same, equal...at times in qf you are now working as hard or dare i say harder for much less pay and conditions as the person on the other end of the trolley and, therefore my interest in a new company with an even playing field i am also not the only one csms and other staff have also expressed interest. cheers gigs

All V Australia Cabin Crew will be based out of SYD at the startup. All on individual contracts. Bit of a shame, but hopefully as they grow they will base crew outta BNE etc.

I am curious as to how many crew V Aus will require for start up & are VB short haul likely to apply in their droves for the jobs? Any word on crew complement for the 777's. It is said only SYD base to start with, will this put alot of VB crew off applying? Merry Christmas to all.

V Australia
 

Hi Guys,

All Virgin Blue staff received an email update about V Australia today.

V Australia is starting the recruitment process in February with final interviews taking place in May. The recruitment process will include pre screening, telephone interview, assessment centre and final panel. Training will commence in August and flying in November. The email advised that the base will be out of Sydney and they are planning to recruit 280 Cabin Crew for the start up. From the 280 Cabin Crew approx 35% will be internal transfers from VB, and the remainder will be hired externally. This is due to the inability for Virgin Blue to lose too many staff for the initial start up of V Australia, hence the need to balance internal and external hires. All current VB staff who move to V Australia will "TRANSFER" over with all their entitlements and service recognised, however leave will not be available for most likely 1 year, hence they are recommending staff who make the move need to take leave prior to training.

As far as the crew compliment goes it was announced that they would have 10 Cabin Crew, 1 Cabin Crew Leader, 1 Cabin Crew Manager (I think the term is correct) so 12 in total.

Thats pretty much everything that was in our internal e-mail and its public knowledge now. It did not mention anything about contracts or pay so I cant comment on any of that. With regards to VB crew wanting to apply you get mixed reactions online, many of the crew are not interested due to family commitments etc, lots are not interested in making the move to Sydney so this has turned them off, and others are not interested in long haul flying (14 hours can be tough). On the other hand there are those who are ready to pack up and leave in a flash, love the idea of working on a 777 and international. Myself I would want to know more about the conditions before making any decision, on balance i think they will have no problem getting 150 internal transfers, out of 1450 current crew that is an achievable number. Also keep in mind there are a number of crew currently working in training, management, operations etc who may also apply internally so the competition may be tough.

Hope this helps all of you who are considering applying.. Good Luck to all internals and externals you have just as much chance as internal crew.

Cheers
SocialFlyer

Just to clarify, its 1 x Flight Manager, 1 x Cabin Leader, and 11 x Cabin Crew to be used on the B773ER - so 13 in total - and 35% of the initial 280 needed to launch makes about 98 transfers from VB across to V Oz.

Cheers! :ok:

I haven't had a chance to check my work emails yet, but do we know anything about the selection criteria for internal transfers? Surely we wont have to go through assesment centre etc...

And did it mention / or anyone know anything about the possibility of commuting?

Cheers!

From memory the email stated it was performance based?? What ever that means, so I am sure they will bring out the old sick leave folder to start with.... (that old chestnut).

The email said that initialy phone interview then manager feedback, and yeah the possiblility of an assessment centre.. probably depending on how many apply to transfer I guess. If there is a large number of applicants I am sure they will do as much as possible to cull numbers.

Nothing was mentioned about commuting, but the rumor mill said 7 weeks training in SYD, after that I am sure there is no reason why you couldnt commute. I am sure there are many more asking the same question!

I guess this is the first real bit of info so I am sure there is more to come.
Interesting times ahead!:\

Jan Rosters
 

How did we all go with our Jan rosters with the new bidding system? Did we all get what we wanted as promised?

I haven't had a chance to check my roster yet as I haven't been into work, and for some reason they can't get their act together and allow us to check that sought of stuff from home! :rolleyes:

Nope... unfortunately an email came out a day or two prior to the roster publication stating that they were unable to get Kronos in place in time for the January roster build, and subsequently Feburary's roster will/should be the first to be built using the Kronos optimizer.

Oh of course! :ugh:hehe.

Hi Guys!

I went to a VBRD Nov 28 07, and so have have progressed to being put on a waiting list for a training placement. The lovely recruitment girl, told me could be 6 months. Is that normally the case?

She also said that because things were winding up for the year, she would continue checking my references, but when there was a placement would be in touch.

Now here is where it all got complicated...

She called one referee, no problems...as expected...

Then called reference no 2, and well, this is some one i have worked with for many many years a very dear colleague to me. Usually amazingly professional...I dont know WHAT she was thinking, she emailed me a copy of the email ref form after she had completed all but one or two q's....in the answer boxes...she wrote "you can answer this one babe???????"

I didnt recieve this email, so blissfully unaware I continued with excitement talking about how great my nw job will be.....

Then I got a call....from my colleague..."oh dear Sar, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY.....I sent u an email for some assistance....but I ACCIDENTALLY emailed VB recruit the one i fowrded to you..." at first I was like why does that matter...then she explained what she had written, and that VB recruitment had called her and said her ref was no longer acceptable.

I was devastated, but I knew my friend didnt mean to, she thought she was "helping" I just wish she had have just completed it properly. I have had my chance to sell myself as an asset to VB, and so far so good...all she hadto do was be open and honest.

Any way, we are fine, I assured her not to worry herself and that all will be ok. She is feeling horrible.

NOW, is this salvageable, or will my unprofession ref, affect my app from progressing.

I got her call email last Friday 6pm, and althought recruitment had left for the day.(possibly for 2 weeks???) I left a msg on my recruitment officer voicemail explaining that recieved word my ref had not fulfilled her obligation, and that I was both embarassed and upset that my judgement had been wrong about her. I assured he that I would have another apropriate ref for her asap and apologised.

I then got home 10 pm and sent her an email with contact details of a new reference...

Now I must wait to see if recruitment are in office today or not until after xmas......GOD......I hope they dont discard my app........


Sorry the for lengthy post...needed to vent!

HELP
 

Hi Guys, Im new to all this.

I have recently decided to leave the exciting office 9 to 5 role, and head back into hospitality, and do what i have always wanted to do, cabin crew.
So, I have gone and got my RSA, my first aid and renewed my passport. I have applied for every airline i can, that includes MAM. But what are the differences between a Jetstar role, a Qantas role and a Virgin role? I know that Jetstar are employing now, but I dont hear too many good things. I know a lot of Qantas staff who love their jobs, but bi#$h and moan about Qantas. The people I know that work for Virgin love it, and cant say a bad thing... except why is there no base in Sydney.
So. What do you think? Should I just got with Jetstar, wait for the Qantas long haul, or hold out for Virgin blue/ V Aus? I live in Sydney, what would be a likley waiting time for me to blow off the office 9 to 5 role and start in the new syd base for virgin blue/ v aus?

Hey guys!
Just a few quick questions..Firstly does anyone have any ideas of roughly how many melbourne based cc need to be recuited this year due to V Australia and the new aircrafts? If it isn't a great amount i am tempted to try my luck and apply for the sydney base move up there if required.. and maybe eventually transfer to melbourne! So my second question.. how hard is it to transfer base within virgin blue.. and how long would you generally have to wait?
much thanks! :)

Atlantic Exchange No. 6 I think..
 

Hi guys

Not sure where to put this, did not want to start a new thread or over take the VS strike thread but...

It must almost be that time of year again when applications open for the Virgin Atlantic Exchange program. Having recently flown with the "penthouse" girls and a number of crew that have done it in the past I am really keen to apply.

I have a million and 65 questions, and without sounding like all the other posts about pay and conditions but now that DJ crew are not allowed to work in upper class what realistically would the monthly salary be? for those that have done it in the past did you seriously come back with massive debt? would say 10K and a credit card be enough to live in London just outside zone one and have a life?

Would be really keen to hear from crew that have done the exchange and their experiences good and bad.

Virgin Blue cabin crew recruitment SYD
 

Hi all,

I've been invited to attend the recruitment day later this month and was wondering (I suppose from existing DJ cabin crew), how you think the SYD base will affect the network in terms of duty hours, pay and things like that being shared around the bases.

Thanks,
Exmax:ok:

V Australia, when they start up, will most likely operate out of Sydney. It is the largest population base and the biggest market. Thus it would be logical for the crew base for V Australia to be in Sydney.

The airline is apparently starting with 3 aircraft in 2008 and assuming say 14 or so crew on any flight and 6-7 crews per aircraft, thats 3 x 14 x 6 = 252 crew. If these numbers are even close, that's a lot of new cabin crew opportunities for Cabin Crew coming up in 2008 (most likely Sydney).

Hi Chris, Im currently on the exchange here in Oz. Based in MEL though. The Penthouse girls are my good buddies....they are all mental!

To answer your question, going on basic salary alone a Cabin Crew member will earn £850/£900 a month. You will then get allowances dependant on your trip NYC varies $160/$180 dollars for a nightstop. SFO $340 for two nights. Id say on avergae £1150 if you dont spend your allowances downroute.

All I will say is that VAA is amazing fun, the crew are fantastic and up for a good time. The destinations are out of this world....imagine a roster...5 nights in Cape Town, Nightstop New York, two nights in LA, nightstop Miami. Love it!

If you have anymore questions PM me!

Cheers!

Hi chris,

Yes it is No 6

I'm over here in the Uk flying for VS. I'm an Aussie, but not on the exchange - although every single person asks me "Are you on the exchange?"

Anyway, from discussions with current DJ exchange crew at VS, it is actually a pretty big comitment. Our salaries are fairly low over here, and the cost of living is much higher. But the trips are usually pretty awesome, as are most of the crew.

There are a few issues:
You are not eligible for staff travel in the first 6 months.
You no longer get promoted to Senior after 6 months.
No support is provided in setting up your life, so be prepared!
Accommodation, Transport, NI numbers (like a Tax file number), bank accounts etc etc... Just be prepared.

But lots of crew really enjoy it, one I flew with a few months ago was on exchange 4, and loved it so much, he stayed!

Just try and save up as much cash as you can, so that you can have a little more spending money than just your allowances.

Good luck with you're application!

any virgin blue CC on this thread?

can someone tell me if DJ assess colour vision in there medicals?

thanks - i am VERY VERY anxious to find out!

SLK

I did a VB CC medical a few weeks ago and they tested me for colour blindness.