Virgin Australia pilots have voted to accept a new pay offer from the airline.

The new collective agreement, which according to the Australian Association of Air Pilots will immediately raise salariews by as much as 25 per cent for some, marks the end of individual contracts and was accepted via a ballot of some 125 pilots.  The workers say the deal will lead to improved work conditions as well as annual pay increases of around 4 per cent.

Tim Hosking, head negotiator for the pilots, called the agreement historic and noted that Virgin had taken the initiative to acknowledge that pilots’ work conditions and terms needed improvement, even in an uncertain time for the global economy. He said that pilots could now move forward, thanks to a ‘sound platform’ provided by t he collective agreement.
 
The deal covers all Virgin pilots flying between Australia and Abu Dhabi as well as the United States, and now AAAP officials say they can begin working on new terms for pilots flying Australian domestic routes, whose current pay contract is set to expire in about two months’ time.

Meanwhile, long-haul pilots for Qantas are currently underway with pay negotiations whilst those working Jetstar and Qantas domestic routes have two years remaining on the current scheme.