Boeing 737-990 operated by Alaska Airlines will take off from JFK Airport in Queens, New York City on August 24, 2019.
Bruce Bennett | Getty Images
Alaska Airlines is offering flight attendants double payments this spring to pick up additional travel, hoping to avoid staff shortages ahead of the further surge in travel demand in the coming months. ..
The airline provided incentives to pilots and flight attendants at the end of last year, including bonuses and up to triple payments, to stop staff shortages during busy year-end vacations, but the wave of Covid omicron infections still keeps crew members. Set aside and contributed to the cancellation of thousands of flights.
Alaska’s offer shows that airlines are willing to pay more to their crew to avoid flight interruptions due to staff shortages, a problem that can spread rapidly across the airline’s network.
“Like many other airlines, we face general staffing challenges,” Alaska said in a statement. “In response, we are providing flight attendants with incentives this spring to close the short-term staffing gap.”
The airline recently hired and trained 165 new flight attendants and plans to bring an additional 700 on board in June this year. As of the end of 2021, there were more than 5,500 flight attendants. Alaska is the fifth largest US airline with more than 120 destinations in North America and hubs on the west coast and Alaska.
A Seattle-based airline has approached a flight attendant union to pay incentives, according to a note sent to the flight attendants on Friday.
American Airlines, which aims to hire about 18,000 people this year, and Southwest Airlines, which targets 8,000 new hires in 2022, said they are not currently offering the same incentives as Alaska.
Airline executives said last week that travel demand recovered faster than expected. According to Adobe data, February bookings and sales surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time, and this week’s airport security screening was the highest since Thanksgiving.
They said some airlines, including Alaska, have adjusted their schedules in response to rising costs, but expect to help offset the sharp rise in fuel prices this year. However, the airline said it expects to return to pre-Covid capacity by the summer.
Alaskan executives outline plans for next year on Thursday’s Investor Day.