By Alice Seeley
Alaska Airlines is in such desperate need of flight attendants that it is offering double pay to staff that picks up extra trips this spring. The double pay will go into effect once the flight attendant works more than 100 trips per pay in a month. Each trip is generally calculated based on the length of the flight.
Alaska Airlines is the fifth-largest U.S. airline and employed more than 5,500 flight attendants at the end of 2021. The airline offers flights to more than 120 destinations in North America and has offices on the West Coast and in Alaska. Alaska Airlines recently hired and trained 165 new flight attendants and has plans to hire 700 more flight attendants this June.
Even with increasingly high-priced plane tickets, there is a record-high demand for flights. More Americans are traveling as COVID restrictions are lifted. In February, tickets surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time, according to Adobe data, and airport security screenings hit the highest since Thanksgiving 2021 this week.
“We’ve not seen a stronger demand … in my career,” Delta Air Lines Chief Executive, Ed Bastian, stated.
As the demand is expected to increase through the summer, Alaska is willing to pay double to avoid flight disruptions from staffing shortages.
“Like many other airlines, we are facing general staffing challenges,” Alaska Airlines stated. “In response, we’re offering flight attendants pay incentives to fill gaps in staffing for a short period of time this spring.”
Alaska Airlines has already approached the flight attendants’ union about the double pay. Alaska Airlines executives will outline its plans for the coming year on an investor day on Thursday, March 24.
Other airlines are dealing with staff shortages as well. American Airlines plans to hire 18,000 employees by the end of 2022, and Southwest Airlines plans to hire 8,000 more employees this year. However, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have not started offering double pay yet.
