In the past, only new uniforms were issued at Austrian Airlines. That has changed because flight attendants have been receiving used clothing for some time now. At the moment, this primarily affects cabin crew who are new to the company.

However, criticism from those affected is caused by the fact that some used bodies are also given out. A flight attendant told Aviation.Direct that she had received a dirty and damaged body. For hygienic reasons alone, she doesn't think it's okay. However, according to Austrian Airlines, it is not compulsory for female flight attendants to wear bodies. Alternatively, they can also use a blouse.

When asked about the fact that used uniforms were being used, the carrier's media office confirmed this. A spokeswoman said, among other things: "From the point of view of sustainability, it was decided to issue returned uniform parts in addition to new items of clothing. The latter are items of clothing that were returned when people left the company (in some cases unworn or “as new”) and are of course subject to an inspection and professional cleaning before they are handed out to employees”.

A flight attendant contradicts this account because she claims that she received a uniform with clear signs of wear and damage. In addition, this would not fit despite measures and changes by the company's own tailoring. It makes you feel like you're in a potato sack. Austrian Airlines regrets that errors have occurred in individual cases.

“Employees decide for themselves which parts they want to purchase. For example, blouses can be worn as an alternative to bodies. If a certain size is not available at short notice (delivery delays) and the employee insists on a body, it may happen that returned, but previously checked and cleaned bodies are issued as an interim solution. Many employees have so far rated the sustainable approach, namely that a mix of new and returned uniform parts is issued, very positively. For new flight attendants, experienced executives and experts are on site to try them on. In the event that parts of the uniform do not fit, we employ a seamstress and a textile designer in the uniform department so that we can make any adjustments immediately," explains a media officer at Austrian Airlines.

Costs for cleaning the uniforms have to be paid by yourself

At Austrian Airlines, until the start of the corona pandemic, it was standard for uniforms to be cleaned at the company's expense. The work was carried out by a professional cleaning shop and the employees had no costs. But that changed with the pandemic, because you have to bear the cost of washing your clothes yourself. However, these cannot be washed in the domestic washing machine, but must be taken to a cleaning shop. Each cleaning process costs around 25 euros.

This is an enormous burden, especially for young flight attendants who are in the lowest salary brackets, because the uniforms have to be cleaned regularly. That's perfectly logical, because you don't wear the same T-shirt for days in private. Austrian Airlines did not simply come up with the fact that the cleaning of the uniforms has to be paid for itself. This was agreed in 2020 with the works council and the union as part of the crisis collective agreement. After this, the costs should be borne by the company again, according to an AUA spokeswoman.

Incidentally, free cleaning of uniforms is not a general standard in the Lufthansa Group. In Germany, those Lufthansa and Eurowings employees who wear uniforms have to pay for the cleaning of their uniforms themselves. “Before Corona”, the AUA employees were better off in this regard.

"At the beginning of the pandemic, Austrian put together a crisis package together with the works council and the union to ensure the continued existence of the company. Most of the points raised relate to the cost-cutting measures that are part of the crisis collective agreement and are therefore supported by all employees as well as the works council and the union until the end of 2024. This includes, among other things, the cleaning of uniforms. The blowroom cleaning costs will be taken over again after December 31.12.2024, 2024 in accordance with the crisis contribution agreed with the works council. The same applies, for example, to the catering or the crew meal. The employees are currently receiving diets for their assignments and can order food, just like others in the canteen. This also applies to breakfast in the hotel. According to the crisis collective agreement, these measures will also be lifted at the end of XNUMX,” explains an Austrian Airlines spokeswoman.

Young flight attendants suffer financially from the crisis collective agreement

Both the Vida trade union and many a member of the management of Austrian Airlines have not missed an opportunity in the past to criticize the supposedly low wages of the competition from the low-cost segment. In normal times, provided that flight operations are not completely suspended due to Corona, young flight attendants at Lauda and Wizz Air earn more every month than at Austrian Airlines. This is because the AUA collective agreement stipulates that around 70 flight hours are already included in the basic wage. Competitors pay from the first flight hour (Lauda Europe) or the first sector (Wizz Air) on top. The bottom line is that flight attendants make better money at the beginning with the low-cost airlines.

However, if you have been with the company for a longer period of time and especially if you have become a senior flight attendant (purser), it turns around. Then the monthly salaries at Austrian Airlines are significantly higher than those of the low-cost competition. In summary, it can be stated that career starters at Lauda Europe and Wizz Air initially earn more per month than at Austrian Airlines. If you move up to higher wage levels due to longer company affiliations and promotions, you earn significantly better at AUA.

It's also worth noting that the world of flight attendants has changed a lot in the last ten years. In the past, cabin crew were very loyal to their employer and sometimes did this job until they retired or then moved to other positions within the airline. That has changed, because many do the job as young people for a few years, some change airlines and then no longer feel like flying and reorient themselves in other sectors. The corona pandemic has accelerated this trend, as many have given up their jobs in the dressing room. In concrete terms, this also means that almost all airlines tend to have more newcomers who only stay on board for a few years. Of course, there are also exceptional cases that have been with us for many years and have found their dream job.

At Austrian Airlines, salaries are currently reduced for another reason. The crisis collective agreement stipulates that part of the salary will be waived this year and next. This is not particularly advantageous for young flight attendants, whose salaries are of course not at the level of top managers. However, in the course of the negotiations of the crisis management board, the onboard works council strictly rejected a social differentiation that exists for ground staff.

A spokeswoman for AUA explained, among other things: “While the crisis collective agreement for commercial and technical employees provides for a social staggering in the case of salary waivers, the works council on board and the responsible trade union have spoken out against such a solution and have therefore rejected social staggering. The crisis collective agreement, which was agreed with the Bord works council, ends at the end of 2024. The crisis contribution of every employee was and is very important to ensure the continued existence of the company. At the same time, however, the company is also aware that rising inflation – in general and thus not only within the company but also outside of Austrian Airlines – leads to financial concerns. In order to alleviate these concerns and in view of the positive bookings over the summer months, the company has decided to make a one-time payment of 500 euros for all employees. This was communicated to staff in April."

Furthermore, Austrian Airlines rejects the fact that flight attendants would only be deployed up to a maximum of the 70 flight hours included in the collective agreement and that there would therefore be no possibility of increasing the monthly salary. A spokeswoman: "In the summer, the flight attendants are planned with more flight hours. Compared to low-costers, there are different salary levels at Austrian and due to the collective agreement, our employees also receive their normal salary during the weaker winter months, in the event of illness or vacation. As you know, we recently added 150 new flight attendants. Many low-cost airlines have applied to Austrian and have been pleasantly surprised (including the free iPads that were handed out as work tools)”.

Last word not spoken yet

The Vida trade union and the works council publicly stated a few weeks ago that they believe that the crisis KV must be untied again. This would not reflect the sharp increase in the cost of living, which was caused in particular by the war in Ukraine. Although Austrian Airlines reacted with a one-time payment of 500 euros, this is not enough for the employee representatives.

At the time the KV was concluded, everyone involved assumed that the industry would take many more years to recover. Nobody expected the strong demand in the summer of 2022. As a result, Austrian Airlines' revenues are back to the level they were before the pandemic, but wages have been cut, which employee representatives understandably find unfair.

The core problem for many AUA employees, however, is that everyday costs have risen massively and it is currently not foreseeable whether there will be a kind of “price brake” at all. Food, fuel and energy such as electricity and gas in particular have become significantly more expensive. However, the AUA references have been shortened, so that a gap is widening that many a young flight attendant is slowly no longer able to cope with. The government's help has been announced, but it's typically Austria: The money should only flow in the fall, but financial bottlenecks are now there.

The trade union and the works councils of Austrian Airlines are currently in talks that should lead to a kind of “inflation adjustment” of salaries. What this will look like is still unclear. The talks are in an early stage, but it can be heard that the AUA management will not oppose them, but is willing to support their employees accordingly. A short-term solution will be the one-time payment and in the medium-term there will ideally be an adjustment of the monthly payments. There is no date for this yet, as discussions between employer and employee representatives are still ongoing.