Leslie Josephs | CNBC JetBlue Airways on Friday urged patience from its flight attendants as it struggles to hire hundreds of new employees before what it expects to be a monster travel season this spring and summer. “Please do not refuse a task that you have been assigned to perform. It is annoying to operate, frustrates your fellow crew members, and frustrates our customers who rely on us to get them safely to their destination,” said Ed Baklor. head of customer service and programs, he said in an email to flight attendants, which he saw on CNBC. Demand for travel has fallen faster than airlines expected and they are now trying to hire thousands of workers to cope with the increase in passengers this spring and summer. Airline executives told investors this week and last week that they expect strong demand – and a willingness of customers to pay more for tickets – to help offset the recent rise in fuel prices. “We are still unprofitable after two years and now we are facing rising fuel prices and other inflationary pressures that make it difficult for everyone,” JetBlue’s Baklor wrote to the crews. “With strong consumer demand and record recruitment, we expect a healthy summer. We will see the other side of it if we can count on your continued patience, cooperation and teamwork along the way.” JetBlue did not immediately comment, but CEO Robin Hayes told a JPMorgan conference last week that the industry was facing capacity constraints due in part to staff. Baklor told crews that the airline is well on its way to hiring 700 new pilots and flight attendants before the summer and that the carrier does not just want to hire for peak periods because it can mean overcrowding during the off-season. the summer. Last week, Alaska Airlines and the flight attendants’ union reached an agreement to offer double pay as the flight attendants make more than 100 trips per fee, a single payment based on the duration of the trip, each month until May.
