Virgin Australia has reached a cabin crew pay deal with unions that had called for strikes ahead of the busy end-of-year travel season, the airline said on Thursday. The in-principle agreement is for 15 per cent-plus salary increases over three years, depending on an employee’s skill and tenure, Virgin Australia said in a statement.
“The overall cost of this agreement is in line with the agreements we have reached with other work groups,” the statement said.
The Cabin Crew Enterprise Agreement was negotiated with the Transport Workers’ Union of Australia (TWU) and the Flight Attendant’s Association of Australia (FAAA). Virgin cabin crew earlier this month voted in favour of 24-hour stoppages unless an agreement was reached, according to TWU and FAAA statements.
Bain Capital-owned Virgin Australia said in October it had returned to a profit for the first time in 11 years for the fiscal year 2023, buoyed by a strong recovery in travel demand following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With the peak season upon us, it’s a relief for everyone that protected industrial action won’t be needed. Good, secure jobs are the answer to rebuilding aviation,” the TWU said in a statement.
Passenger revenues are expected to reach USD 717 billion in 2024, up 12 per cent from USD 642 billion in 2023. Revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) growth is expected to be 9.8 per cent year on year. IATA stated that 4.7 billion people are expected to travel in 2024, a historic high that exceeds the pre-pandemic level of 4.5 billion in 2019.
