Yesterday, Emirates announced its financial results for 2017 and the figures looked really good. After a torrid 2016, in which the airline fought a perfect storm of falling oil prices, political uncertainty, a strong U.S. Dollar and terrorist attacks that seriously dampened demand, Emirates reported a staggering profit rise of 124% in the last 12-months.
We already knew the strong performance had triggered a Group-wide bonus payout which will see most employees receive the equivalent of around five weeks basic pay. And now we’ve heard the celebrations can continue for the 25,000+ cabin crew at the Dubai-based airline as further salary enhancements are announced.
In an internal memo sent to staff by Thomas Ney, the airline’s DSVP of Service Delivery, cabin crew have been told of a series of improvements that will soon be coming to their remuneration package. Ney said he wanted to thank staff for their hard work and the support they had given the operation during what has been a “challenging” time.
Most cabin crew will see the following benefits:
- A one-step pay increase in their basic wage
- An increase in flying pay of 5%
- A change in how meal allowance payments are calculated for delayed flights.
This comes on top of a number of other improvements the airline recently made to cabin crew working conditions, including the return of full medical coverage. However, Ney hinted that the airline needed to do more to improve conditions, saying:
“I believe the improvement process must continue as we develop and grow as an airline and I hope you see these changes as a good step in the right direction.”
Emirates is currently in the midst of a huge recruitment campaign for new cabin crew with Open Day’s scheduled in multiple cities around the world. Sources suggest Emirates needs hundreds of new recruits but the airline’s Chairman, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, told Bloomberg television yesterday that it was only short of “small numbers” of cabin crew.
Sheikh Ahmed also downplayed suggestions Emirates was lacking pilots, telling the business channel the airline was simply matching recruitment with the arrival of new aircraft.
Meanwhile, cabin crew flying for Etihad Airways in neighbouring Abu Dhabi may look at their counterparts at Emirates with envious eyes. Etihad hasn’t awarded a pay raise for its crew in over 10-years. The much smaller and somewhat struggling carrier is yet to announce its financial results for last year.
