Cabin crew enjoying big perks, allowances, bonuses, says PAL

Aura Marie P. Dagcutan
Posted on 09:04 PM, October 03, 2010
BusinessWorld

FLAG CARRIER Philippine Airlines (PAL) said flight attendants and stewards have been getting huge salaries, disclosing details of their compensation for the first time.
PAL said it was releasing details of the salaries as it was “exasperated by the cabin crew union’s propaganda” amid a deadlock over collective bargaining talks.

Cielo C. Villaluna, PAL spokeswoman, said in a statement on Saturday flight attendants and stewards were “well paid and receive some of the best benefits that are the envy of other Filipino workers.”

“The officers of the PAL- Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (FASAP) have not been forthright in informing the public of the real salaries and benefits that the PAL cabin crew receives,” she said.

“PAL-FASAP claims their basic pay is below the government set minimum wage, but this is just a portion of their salary. The truth is they receive much, much more,” she said.

Ms. Villaluna said the gross monthly pay of a PAL cabin crew member ranges from P33,000 to P75,000, inclusive of productivity pay and other allowances.

“A domestic crew earns between P34,619 to P37,619 per month, including productivity pay, transportation allowance and rice allocation. An international cabin attendant receives P50,741 to P60,136, while a flight purser gets P67,880 to P73,570,” she said.

“While this salary range may be modest compared to the payscale of giant carriers abroad, this is no small amount by Philippine standards.

Hence, claims that PAL cabin crew are overworked and underpaid are not true.”

Ms. Villaluna said total pay is composed of basic salary plus the following other items such as per diems when staying overnight at an international destination ($45-$70), when on a technical stop ($100), for every regional turnaround flight ($20), and for every domestic flight (P185).

They also get additional pay for every hour in excess of their tour of duty ($50 plus $20 for international flights, P1,250 per hour for domestic), first-class hotel accommodation at domestic and international stations, transportation allowance (or free pickup from/to residence), free meals in flight and on ground, crew shuttle to/from airport, thermal clothing allowance (twice a year), shoe allowance of P1,200 for males, P800 for females twice a year, uniform allowance of P11,022 to P16,376 (every 18 months); a suitcase costing P1,563 to P3,647 (replaced every two years), complete medical and dental coverage for cabin crew and their qualified dependents, 13th and 14th month pay, cash for the conversion of unused days off and sick leaves, the perfect attendance award equivalent to one month pay plus per diem, and retirement benefits of one month and a half for every year of service.

FASAP said in a statement yesterday “the ball is now on PAL’s hands.”

“The last ditch efforts for conciliation [tomorrow] is PAL’s opportunity to come clean and address the clear discrimination against flight attendants. PAL should not wait for a strike or pass the buck to the DoLE secretary to correct its anti-labor and gender-biased policies,” the group said.

PAL is offering the union a P105-million package, but FASAP claims this is not enough for some 1,600 members. --