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INAirline Ground Staff Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week on the ground actually pays — the right classification level, shift and weekend penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way MA000048 says.
How the Airline Ground Staff Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per stream and level — the calculator uses the adult aviation transport rates from clause 18.1, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading with a 4-hour minimum engagement, and the shift, weekend and public-holiday percentages above already include it (Schedule B.6).
- Shift penalties substitute rather than stack: a Saturday shiftworker gets 150%, not 150% plus the night loading (clause 17.7).
- Overtime applies beyond 38 ordinary weekly hours (or outside the daily spread/roster): 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200% — casuals 175% and 225%.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including penalty rates — but not to overtime.
- The trap: Christmas Day and Good Friday pay 250% (275% casual) — a separate, higher rate than other public holidays that payroll needs to configure on its own line.
Who the award covers
- Ramp, baggage and freight handling for commercial passenger and freight air transport
- Aircraft cleaning, cabin presentation and catering equipment preparation
- Check-in, reservations, cargo and other airline clerical and administrative work
- Aircraft maintenance and engineering — aircraft workers through to licensed engineers
- Airline storepersons and logistics staff
- Labour hire staff placed into airline ground operations
Cabin crew have the Aircraft Cabin Crew Award, pilots the Air Pilots Award, and staff of the airport operator itself the Airport Employees Award — this award is for airline (and ground handler) employees on the ground.
Which level is your team member?
The Ground Staff Award runs four separate streams — aviation transport workers, clerical and administration, maintenance and engineering, and storepersons and logistics — each with its own rate table. The ladder here is the aviation transport workers stream, the one most ground-handling teams live in. Classify the stream first, then the level.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $27.38 | $1040.60 | Trainee Airlines Services Operator — new starter | The entrance level for all new employees: 6 months of on-the-job training and induction, working across Level 2 and 3 duties. Needs a current driver’s licence. |
| Level 2 | $27.50 | $1044.90 | Airlines Services Operator — cleaning and catering preparation | Cleaning, preparation and packaging of catering equipment and amenities, aircraft cabin presentation, and non-aircraft baggage and freight functions. |
| Level 3 | $27.96 | $1062.50 | Airlines Services Operator — ramp and equipment operator | Hands-on aircraft handling: operates tow motors, tarmac buses, mobile steps, belts and small vans, with basic serviceability checks and refuelling of the equipment used. |
| Level 4 | $28.73 | $1091.80 | Airlines Services Operator — all ground handling equipment | Operates all inhold aircraft systems and all ground handling equipment, compiles reports, and works without direct supervision. |
| Level 5 | $30.03 | $1141.10 | Airlines Services Co-ordinator — team leader | Responsible for a group of staff in a work area: supervision, training, performance reporting and day-to-day work organisation. |
| Level 6 | $30.82 | $1171.10 | Senior Airlines Services Co-ordinator — multiple teams | As per Level 5 but responsible for a number of groups of staff. |
| Level 7 | $31.03 | $1179.00 | Senior Airlines Services Co-ordinator — load control | Responsible for loading and unloading aircraft — securing loaded items, checking safety locks, locking cargo doors, and certifying the load documentation. |
| Level 8 | $32.35 | $1229.20 | Senior Airlines Services Co-ordinator — operations/training | The top of the stream: significant operational responsibility or manpower control beyond Level 7, and/or responsibility for State or network training programmes. |
- Every new aviation transport employee enters at Level 1 as a trainee — 6 months of on-the-job training and induction before progressing, and all minimum standards must be met to move up.
- Levels 2–4 are about equipment scope: cleaning and catering prep at Level 2, ramp equipment like tow motors and belts at Level 3, all ground handling equipment without direct supervision at Level 4.
- Level 7 isn’t seniority — it’s certification responsibility: signing off that the aircraft is loaded, secured and locked correctly.
- The other streams price differently — clerical runs $28.24–$37.99/hour, maintenance and engineering $25.74 (Aircraft Worker 1) to $34.46 (licensed engineers), storepersons $26.96–$30.17. Check the stream before you check the level.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Airline Ground Staff Award adds allowances for particular duties and situations — being the designated first aid officer, working overtime without notice, using your own car. They’re small lines individually, but they’re legal entitlements and they add up. The common ones (1 July 2026 amounts):
The calculator below doesn’t include allowances — add the ones that apply to your team on top of the result. The full list lives in the award’s allowances clause.
Break entitlements under the Airline Ground Staff Award
Breaks are part of the award too — and missed or worked-through breaks usually carry a penalty rate, so they belong in the roster, not just the tea room. Here’s what the Airline Ground Staff Award requires:
The full rules live in clause 16 of the award.
Calculate a week under the Airline Ground Staff Award
Enter the week as it’s actually rostered. Weekend, evening and public-holiday hours are paid at the award’s penalty rates; anything beyond 38 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000048) — first full pay period on or after that date.
This week’s numbers
Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.
Are these the exact legal rates?
The levels shown are the adult aviation transport workers rates from clause 18.1, current at 1 July 2026. The award’s other three streams — clerical, maintenance and engineering, and storepersons — have their own tables, and junior and apprentice rates are percentages. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Why do Christmas Day and Good Friday cost more than other public holidays?
The award singles them out: 250% (275% casual) against 200% (225% casual) for every other public holiday — for day workers and shiftworkers alike. It’s the highest rate in the award, and the one most often missed in payroll setup.
Do shift penalties stack with weekend rates?
No. The weekend and public-holiday rates in clause 17.7 substitute for the weekday shift loadings (115%, 122.5%, 130%, 150%) — a Saturday night shift pays 150%, not both. What does get added first is any all-purpose allowance, like the engineering type-rating allowances.
Does super apply to penalty rates?
Yes — shift, weekend and public-holiday penalties on ordinary hours are ordinary-time earnings, so the 12% super guarantee applies. True overtime is excluded. The calculator applies exactly that split.
This is a general calculator, not legal advice. It applies the award’s published adult minimums to the hours you enter — it can’t see your enterprise agreement, allowances or individual arrangements, and junior, apprentice and shiftwork rates differ. Always confirm pay against the award, your agreement or your adviser. If you believe something here is materially wrong or out of date, please contact us — we’ll review it promptly.
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Tommy applies the right award rates to every shift as you roster — penalties, loading and super included. Start with your email and your numbers come along.
