Ryanair has promised “competitive” starting pay and a fixed five days on, three days off roster for UK cabin crew.
A new collective agreement with the Unite union delivers “accelerated” pay restoration following the pandemic, upfront and annual pay increases, a significant restructuring of pay to deliver more guaranteed earnings and other pay and benefit improvements, according to the airline.
The deal covers all of Ryanair’s UK-based cabin crew until 2026 when it expects annual passenger carryings to hit 225 million.
The no-frills carrier is currently recruiting for new cabin crew in the UK as it creates more than 2,500 new jobs over the period.
The airline expects to grow to 115% of its pre-Covid capacity this year and is prioritising the early restoration of pay for staff through renegotiated agreements “to keep jobs secure and to have a foundation for growth”.
The agreement with Unite delivers “unrivalled work life balance – equivalent to a public holiday every week” to UK cabin crew.
A core feature of the deal is a clear career path, helping crew to rapidly secure promotions to senior cabin supervisor and training roles as the airline grows, according to Ryanair.
People director Darrell Hughes said: “This long-term agreement delivers stability, pay improvements, future pay increases, promotions and other benefit improvements for our cabin crew in the UK over the next three years, where we are currently recruiting for new cabin crew to support our continued growth to 225 million passengers by 2026.
“We continue to work with our crew and their unions across Europe on new agreements, similar to those concluded with Unite in the UK, CCOO in Spain and SNPNC-FO in France this week.
“We have already successfully negotiated improved long-term agreements this summer with over 85% of our pilots, and over 90% of our cabin crew, as we prioritise post-Covid pay improvements.”