JetBlue Racing To Hire Flight Attendants Before Busy Summer Season

JetBlue Airways is asking its flight attendants to accept any assignments they receive without refusal or trade until it is able ramp up staffing ahead of what the industry expects to be a record-setting summer travel season.

The airline plans to hire 700 more flight attendants to handle the load, but until then it is hoping its crew won’t be the proverbial monkey in the wrench with assignments leading up to that point.

“Please do not refuse an assignment you are assigned to operate; it is disruptive to the operation, lets down your fellow Crewmembers, and disappoints our Customers who rely on us to safely get them to their destination,” Ed Baklor, head of customer care and programs, said in an email to flight attendants, which was seen by CNBC.

Airlines are doing whatever they can to avoid the delays and cancellations that happened last summer, when they were caught short-handed by the pent-up demand of air travelers. With COVID positive cases having dropped around the world, and restrictions and protocols for entry being removed, airline officials are expecting travelers to return to close to 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

As such, they are making arrangements now. Alaska Airlines, for instance, offered to double the pay of its flight attendants this spring while it ramps up staffing for the summer.

Aviation officials are optimistic.

“We are still unprofitable after two years and now face rising fuel prices and other inflationary pressures that make it challenging for everyone,” JetBlue’s Baklor wrote to crews. “With strong consumer demand and record hiring, we are anticipating a healthy summer. We will see the other side of this if we can count on your continued patience, partnership and teamwork along the way.”