A JetBlue Airways plane takes off from Newark Liberty Airport on September 30, 2018 as seen from Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Gary Hershorn | Corbis News | Getty Images
JetBlue Airways is offering $1,000 in bonuses to flight attendants if they don’t go to work from Friday through the end of May as the airline tries to secure staffing levels amid a surge in travel demand, according to a company release.
Flight attendants will also receive $100 bonuses for picking up open flights, according to the message shared with staff on Friday and seen by CNBC.
Staff shortages have paralyzed airlines over the past year, particularly during Covid peak periods, such as widespread omicron cases that left crews incapacitated during the year-end holidays. The extra wages show airlines are willing to spend more to persuade workers to take up shifts to avoid sometimes more costly flight disruptions.
“The Spring Rewards programs come at a time when every flight makes a difference as hours are scarce and staffing levels are not where they should be,” said Ed Baklor, JetBlue’s director of customer care and programs Memo.
JetBlue did not immediately comment.
The incentive program begins days after JetBlue made a $3.6 billion cash offer to buy discount airline Spirit Airlines.