JetBlue Airplane at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York
Leslie Joseph | CNBC
JetBlue sought patience from flight attendants on Friday as they raced to hire hundreds of new hires before the expected spring and summer monster travel season.
“Don’t deny the assignments you’ve been assigned to operate. It confuses operations, disappoints fellow crew members, and disappoints customers who rely on us to reach their destination safely. “Masu,” said Ed Bakler, head of customer care, and the program in an email to the flight attendants seen by CNBC.
Travel demand is recovering faster than airlines expected and is about to hire thousands of workers to handle the surge in passengers this spring and summer.
The airline CEO told investors last week that strong demand and the customer’s willingness to pay more for tickets will help cover the recent surge in fuel prices.
“Two years later, it’s still unprofitable, and it’s a difficult situation for everyone because of rising fuel prices and other inflationary pressures,” JetBlue’s Bakler wrote to the crew. increase. “With strong consumer demand and record hiring, we look forward to a healthy summer. If you continue to expect your patience, partnership and teamwork, you can see the other side.”
JetBlue didn’t comment immediately, but CEO Robin Hayes said at a JP Morgan meeting last week that the industry is facing capacity constraints partially caused by staffing.
Bakler plans to hire 700 new pilots and flight attendants before the summer, and airlines simply hire them during peak hours as they can be overstaffed during the seasonal downturn after the summer. I told the crew that I didn’t want that.
Last week, Alaska Airlines and the Flight Attendants Union agreed to offer two payments after the flight attendants have made more than 100 trips per payment each month until May.