Working as Cabin crew for Virgin Australia 👍 or 👎? (part 2)

[@beauregardfielding5477]

I was Melbourne Base in 2003 with 80 crew on the books….wild days and yes I was 38 when most crew were 21 and blonde women. Still flying all these years later and cannot get enough of it. Great vlog. BB

[@travelswithted673]

@@beauregardfielding5477 thank you, good on you bro. 😎👏🍻

[@LG-ot6jm]

Great video. What was the pay rate? Also does Virgin pay crew for boarding? Does Virgin have a union?

[@travelswithted673]

@@LG-ot6jm thank you, to be honest I can’t remember the pay because it was over a year ago. If I can find a payslip I’ll post below the amount but I remember thinking that it wasn’t amazing but also not too bad. The pay also varied every week depending on how much you were in the air. If I remember correctly, you had a basic pay regardless on how many hours you worked, and then extra money depending on if you stayed away and also if you were in the air flying a lot. When you say boarding, is that the ground school? If it is then yes you got paid, it was about 4-5 weeks (again my memory is but unsure as over a year ago) and was pretty intense but fun. The unions were pretty strong, a couple of them came into ground school to talk to us. You had to pay a small amount a month. I think most crew had joined the union.

[@ILA_TIS67]

Trimmed beard ok or go they prefer a clean shaven face?

[@travelswithted673]

They are good with both. As long as the beard is trimmed 👍

[@beauregardfielding5477]

Travel Dude ….Back then you were right ….bog roll race…placing unfurled toilet rolls all the way down the length of the cabin up onto the front toilet and then flushing…..people loved the toilet paper flying up the aisle like the speed of sound. It was called the Bog roll Race! We did face painting in the back galley …I was good at doing Drag Queens and a little chap came in and I said hello Mr…what do you want ….a butterfly or a clown? …he said ‘I want bee-sting lips and big eye make-up’ …oh I said…too easy. His mother flipped …I said to her..darling just give in ..the writing is on the wall…she grabbed him and stormed back up the plane….she never complained. I used to dye the female crews’ hair at the Holiday in Potts Point…always carried some bleaching solution and foils in my overnight bag…the girls wanted 2 things…to be rake thin and to be blonde …..No Base in SYD then so we overnighted like crazy there. Some of the girls had little back books and were on the make and came to work the next day with fists full of cash (and a few boys too). I remember a wild night out on Oxford Street and heading back to the Holiday Inn and thinking ….”wow that moon is so bright”….Damn it….it was 0605am and it was the sun and pick up was at 0700am…a skin full full and no sleep…a cold shower and then wash rinse repeat landing back into SYD after a 4 sector day at 1400pm….I wasn’t even that young but could keep up….Glory Days and so much fun and the pax loved the slutty tight uniforms with buttons undone and I always rolled the cuffs up on my shirts to show off ex bodybuilding biceps ….We were generally professional and we were respected and people saw us as an alternative to QF with their carrots up their bums….I remember once on a Cairns to Melbourne giving ballroom Dance Lessons in the galley and doing Fashion Shows down the aisles with the kids….no IFE….no nothing….just us …we were ‘it’. Great memories a great time and very fun loving and dedicated VB crew. BB

[@travelswithted673]

@@beauregardfielding5477 that’s sound wild hahaha, sounds like a lot of fun. Respect to you for going out all night and then doing a four sector day. I heard that you had 3 days layover in Bali too. That must have been good. Thank you for your message.

[@SF-um3qc]

You quit after 6mths, what could you possibly offer in the way of advice to anyone? 🤷🏼‍♂️🤦🏼 Also, if you are going to give information about duty lengths or rest periods, perhaps have that information handy and accurate. Not “I think it’s 8 or 10 hours, I can’t remember” 🤦🏼 and I was crew for 15 years, most of that a a cabin manager.

[@travelswithted673]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I understand that you might not relate to the video 15 years into the job. But it’s still useful for people who are thinking of applying. I can still give advice on the recruitment process and my experience. The information I state is what I was looking for before I started the job. I didn’t want to see people posing saying how great the job was, I wanted to know what it was really like. I give 100 bits of useful info for newbies (not people with 15 years experience lol). I’m sure that I can be excused for my laziness regarding the 8-10 hours thing. Especially as it’s a free video and I’ve given 100 other bits of info. After all it’s just a KZbin video I’m doing on my own back. Well done on your 15 years and being a cabin manager, but I don’t think that makes you anymore qualified to talk on this than someone who has just done the process. Thank you all the same.

[@SF-um3qc]

Your response was hilarious. 😂 How can you say what it was “really like” when you quit after 6 months? 🤷🏼‍♂️ Anyway, good luck mate.

[@SF-um3qc]

Also, how on earth could you not know that your sick leave runs out? The EBA states how much you accrue per year, and of course if you took more than your allocated amount you would have to take leave without pay 🤷🏼‍♂️🤦🏼

[@travelswithted673]

@@SF-um3qc hahaha, I’m glad you find it funny 🤣. But I’m sorry darl, you’re putting words into my mouth. I never claimed to say what it was ‘really like’ I said that it’s my opinion in which I’m entitled to. I’m sorry that you’re triggered by that. However, I guess I can’t please everyone. Good luck 😃

[@travelswithted673]

@@SF-um3qchahaha, you would know that being 15 years into the job with regular training. But when you’re new and learning the job (which obviously you can’t remember), I didn’t have a full understanding of it as it’s a lot to learn. Are other issues you have with my video darl? 😂

[@beauregardfielding5477]

My CCM was a beautiful Greek Lady called Demi…she loved The Gays…..could never get away from her when I went into the office…..

[@travelswithted673]

@@beauregardfielding5477 that’s awesome 😀