Southwest Turns to Corporate Staff for Help

Last month, Southwest Airlines became the latest carrier to incentivize flight attendants and crew members to work over the holidays with promises of bonus pay, with some getting triple their salaries depending on days worked.

The move was to help combat staffing shortages throughout the industry.

Now, apparently, even those incentives might not be enough to handle what is expected to be another robust holiday travel period as Christmas approaches.

According to a report in the Dallas Morning News, Southwest is asking its corporate employees to jump in and help with service jobs at airports.

Corporate workers would pick up eight-hour shifts for the rest of this month and into January performing various customer service-related jobs.

In a letter to employees obtained by the Morning News, corporate workers would answer questions at the airport, direct people to the right gates, obtain wheelchairs and push passengers needing assistance, and more.

“We are expecting a very busy holiday season (which we are thankful for!), but we also want to do everything in our power to set our front-line employees up for success, especially in locations where staffing is a challenge,” the company said in its letter.

The need is most pressing at the following airports: Baltimore-Washington, Ronald Reagan in Washington, DC, Atlanta, Orlando, Chicago-Midway, Dallas Love Field, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Oakland and Sacramento in California, St. Louis, and LaGuardia in New York.

Southwest is hoping to avoid staff shortages that led to two separate operational issues this calendar year alone that resulted in thousands of flight delays and cancellations.