Major airlines still lag the nation in gender pay gap

The result is a slightly wider median pay gap at Qantas than in 2023-24, and a narrower one at Virgin. Jetstar’s median pay gap was roughly in line with last year’s, at 41.7 per cent.

While it is illegal to pay women less than men for the same work, the WGEA says that the pay gap is largely driven by men being more prevalent in higher-paying roles, which in aviation would include pilots and engineers, and women in lower-paid roles like cabin crew and customer service.

“The fact that men are nearly twice as likely as women to be in the highest paid roles and that women still dominate the lowest paid roles should offer a reality check for anyone who thinks Australia has achieved equality in the workplace,” said WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge.

“Women and men want a fair and equal opportunity to use their full range of skills and capabilities, hold the most senior and highest paying roles, feel safe at work and have some flexibility to manage other responsibilities, such as caring, outside of work.

“Progress on gender equality benefits workers, families, employers and the Australian economy as a whole.”

Around 92.4 per cent of pilots and 95 per cent of engineers at Qantas are male, compared to 77.7 per cent of female airport customer service staff and 70.8 per cent of cabin crew.

VIEW ALL

>

In Qantas’ annual pay gap report, chief people officer Catherine Walsh stressed that Qantas does pay men and women equally for the same work, and that “the real challenge is representation”.

“78 per cent of our people are paid according to enterprise agreements, which standardise pay regardless of gender. For corporate employees not covered by agreements, the like-for-like pay gap is 1.2 per cent – no change from last year,” she said.

“The widening this year was predominantly driven by backdated earnings from earlier reporting periods, including Cabin Crew and engineering enterprise agreement finalisation, and delayed Executive bonus payments.

“Men hold 92.4 per cent of pilot positions and 95 per cent of engineering roles. These patterns exist across global aviation, and shifting them means building a pipeline of female talent in areas where women have historically been almost entirely absent. That takes time, but we’re seeing it happen.”

Virgin Australia in its report has also pointed to its “demographic profile” as a key driver for its own gender pay gap.

“While there is an improvement in the median gap from 2025, we continue to have a larger proportion of men occupying higher paying roles, such as pilots and aircraft engineers. Gender representation targets and supporting initiatives are in place to continue to shift our demographic profile over time,” the airline said.

“Virgin Australia has experienced significant workforce growth over recent years, with headcount increasing from 3,000 to more than 8,300.  This growth has been concentrated in customer-facing operational roles, including Cabin Crew and Guest Services, where female representation is higher.

“In addition, remuneration for our frontline teams is aligned with pay classifications that are reflective of experience and team members will progress to higher paying classifications over time with career development and seniority.

“This results in a larger proportion of people towards the upper end of the pay classification structure in workgroups with high numbers of long serving employees, such as our pilots and engineers.”

Both Qantas Group and Virgin say they are working to increase the proportion of female employees in key roles, including pilots, engineers, and leadership.