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Airline is giving all of its employees a huge bonus equal to 8 months of salary

This is how successful companies do good business.

Image credit: N509FZ

Singapore Airlines employees are getting an enormous profit-sharing bonus.

What makes an airline the "best in the world"? Stellar service, on-time departures, plentiful routes, comfortable seating, reasonable ticket prices, solid safety ratings, good loyalty benefits, etc., right? Those are all things customers look for in an airline, and many of them have given Singapore Airlines the title of "most awarded airline." In 2023, it was named the World's Best Airline by Skytrax World Airline Awards for the fifth time, more than any other airline in the 24-year history of the awards.

Now, there's another reason Singapore Airlines is being praised by both flyers and non-flyers alike. After the company announced a record net profit for 2023/2024, a source told CNN in May of 2024 that the airline was giving all of its employees a bonus equivalent to almost eight months of salary. Though details of the bonus were not shared by the company, a similar bonus was awarded to Singapore Airlines employees in 2022/2023, which was also a record-breaking year for the airline. According to an airline spokesperson who spoke to Business Insider, the bonus is due to "a long-standing annual profit-sharing bonus formula that has been agreed with our staff unions."

Profit-sharing plans provide an added incentive for employees to boost performance, which benefits both employees and employers—as long as those at the top are not determined to hoard all of a company's profits. Singapore Airlines' profit-sharing bonus may be part of its overall compensation package as opposed to a discretionary bonus, but even so, it's a largely unprecedented amount for any company to pay as a bonus, and people have weighed in with their thoughts.

worker pay, economy, paid time off, airlines, air safety Happy airline employees on the job. Image via Canva

"Smart, this is what keeps employees happy and willing to continue going the extra mile. They are about to have even better coming year now."

"It's not just that it's a bonus....it's the percentage. 8 months of salary is amazing leadership. Wish corporate America would not be so greed with their record profits."

"Paying the staff a bonus, not just the executives, that’s good leadership."

"Congrats to Singapore Airlines! Setting a great example of rewarding employees for their dedication and hard work."

As part of the explanation for its profit of 2.68 billion Singapore dollars ($1.99 billion USD), the airline shared, "The demand for air travel remained buoyant throughout FY2023/24" with a boost by several major Asian countries fully reopening their borders after the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline shared that it carried 36.4 million passengers, a whopping 37.6% increase over the prior year.

Clearly, a lot of people choose Singapore Airlines, but why? What actually makes it the best (or for 2024, second best after Qatar Airways) in the world?

For one, they dominate the awards for First Class travel, which is nice but doesn't really affect the average traveler who flies economy. However, even Singapore's economy experience is also miles above most other airlines. Singapore Airlines cabins are known for being well designed, impeccably clean and comparatively comfortable, and the crew has a reputation for being friendly, attentive, and helpful. (In fact, Singapore Airlines was honored with the World's Best Cabin Crew award by Skytrax in 2024.) People who fly Singapore Airlines frequently tout the experience as feeling like it's in an entirely different class than domestic airlines in the U.S., even when flying economy. The seats, the food, the service both on the ground and in the air—all of it adds up to excellence.

When you provide customers the things they value, keep your employees satisfied and happy with fair profit-sharing incentives, and also operate in a cost-efficient way, it's not surprising when you rank highly for awards across the board. That recognition then leads to more customers seeking you out, further increasing your revenue, and ultimately leading you to record profits, which then get shared with employees who work that much harder to ensure that this positive cycle continues.

And it certainly has endured. According to Channel News Asia, on May 15, 2025, Singapore Airlines posted another record annual profit of $2.8 billion for the current financial year, which means their dedicated staff will be getting a nearly eight month bonus for the third year in a row.

Amazing how when you put customers and employees first, everyone wins.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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A stunning majority of Americans now support raising teacher salaries.

The fact that teachers are underpaid isn't exactly breaking news. But ever since West Virginia's high-profile teacher strike in February, the reality faced by educators in America has become crystal clear.

Teachers strikes across the country have raised awareness about the economic challenges educators face — including how typical it is for educators to spend their own money on vital classroom materials, from paper to furniture.

The West Virginia strike quickly inspired similar efforts in Colorado, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. Teachers are supporting their colleagues, too: Arizona educators recently started striking to secure raises for school receptionists and bus drivers.  

Some have feared the frequent statewide strikes would inspire a backlash — after all, the myth that teachers clock out at 3 p.m. everyday and get unlimited time off in the summers still persists. And as recently as 2010, an AP-Stanford poll found that only 57% felt that teachers were paid too little.

But the strikes appear to be working: A majority of Americans are in favor of increasing teacher pay.

According to a new AP-NORC poll, a super majority of 78% of poll respondents say that teachers aren't paid enough, with only 6% saying that they are paid too much.

Plus, a slim majority of those surveyed even support raising taxes to help pay for increasing teacher salaries.

"To educate children and barely get a living is obnoxious," Arizona resident Elaine Penman said in an interview connected to the poll. "I'm a parent and I benefit directly from what teachers do."

Teacher salaries are quickly becoming a bipartisan issue.

According to the poll, nearly 90% of Democrats agree teachers aren't paid enough, as do 78% of Independents and 66% of Republicans.

52% of people responding to the poll say they agree with the striking teachers' efforts, with only 25% disagreeing. And according to those "paying attention" to the strikes, 80% support them.

Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images.

The benefits of education are profound. And most Americans agree that teachers should be fairly compensated for their work.

Everyone may not agree on the solution, but nearly everyone agrees on the problem: Teachers aren't being paid enough and they're being asked to do too much. And research shows that strong education is tied to everything from better job opportunities to personal health.

As statewide strikes continue, people are paying attention.

And the more they pay attention, a clear consensus is emerging: Paying teachers a fair wage isn't just the right thing to do — it's a literal investment in our own futures.

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Target's announcement shows workers are winning the minimum wage war.

Payday is about to get a bit sweeter for many Target employees.

On Sept. 25, the retail giant announced plans to hike its minimum wage for all workers to $11 an hour beginning next month. The company also promised to increase that figure to $15 an hour by 2020.

"We’re proud to say that our team members are known for going the extra mile," Target explained on its website. "That kind of effort is something to recognize."

Notably, the wage hike beginning in October will also extend to the approximate 100,000 temporary workers the company plans on hiring for the holiday season.



Target's wage hike falls in line with the retailer's bold and decisively more progressive company mission taking shape in recent years.

The retailer has begun including plus-size mannequins on its sales floor, defended transgender rights in regards to its bathroom policy for customers, touted Photoshop-free swimwear ads this past summer, and fought to challenge gender norms in the way it presents certain products to kids — all moves that've came with varying degrees of backlash and praise from the public.

Target's promise to raise worker pay reflects a strengthening movement to increase the national minimum wage.

In 2012, hundreds of fast food workers in New York City walked off the job, demanding an increase in pay and union rights — a pivotal moment that put the Fight for $15 on the national radar.

Since then, cities like Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago have significantly raised their minimum wages, and many corporations — feeling the heat from consumers and advocates — have begun following suit. Even McDonald's and Walmart — two companies infamous for poor worker pay and protections — have made moves to raise their minimum wages.

But, as the Fight for $15 organization pointed out, those corporations need to do more.

"[Target is] proving that paying folks fair wages is good business, even in a tight retail market," the group said in a statement, in which they ask readers to "not be shy" in demanding Walmart and McDonald's "follow Target's lead."

As many outlets have reported, Target's wage hike reflects an ongoing heated competition among many major retailers to lead the way on worker pay.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

Washington also seems to be taking note of the growing demand to prioritize workers. As polling shows widespread, bipartisan support among Americans to increase the federal minimum wage, congressional Democrats, for the first time in April, united behind legislation that would gradually raise pay to $15 an hour from coast to coast.

Target's wage hike shows yet another battle won in the fight for $15 — a fight that seems to be the favorite in winning the whole war.

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Minneapolis just raised its minimum wage. Watch Congressman Keith Ellison celebrate.

On the morning of Friday, June 30, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) got some pleasant news about a policy he's long supported: increasing the minimum wage.

After learning the Minneapolis city council agreed on plans to raise the city's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024, Ellison recorded a celebratory video for his constituents, picking up a guitar and singing a version of "Money (That's What I Want)."

"I've been marching for my 15," sings Ellison. "Gettin' paid, now that's what I mean. I need money. That's what I want."

While he likely doesn't have any Grammys in his future, watching Ellison joyously sing is delightful — even more so because it's for an incredible societal win.

"Today, Minneapolis took a big step toward renewing the promise of the American Dream," Ellison posted to his Facebook page.

"'The American Dream' should mean that in a country this prosperous, nobody who works for their living should live in poverty. Yet today, working a full-time job at minimum wage doesn’t lift an American worker out of poverty — it keeps her in it."

Ellison speaks at a 2013 demonstration calling on for a minimum wage increase. Photo by Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images.

At a certain point, the minimum wage was enough to keep a family of three out of poverty. Now, it's not enough for a single person to afford a two-bedroom apartment in the U.S.

Minimum wage hasn't kept up with inflation, and as a result, many full-time employees earning it struggle to get by. Income inequality and profit distribution will continue to change in the years to come. It's important for government officials to find ways to adjust and help Americans reach their potential. We must fight to protect the core American values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

As Ellison said: Working a minimum-wage job should be a stepping stone out of poverty instead of the reason people are stuck in it.

The fight for a $15 minimum wage is a start, not a finish.

But today, let's enjoy a little music.

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