While observing signs of improvement in passenger demand for the holiday travel season in summer 2021, American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) intends to re-hire thousands of cabin employees who have been on voluntary leave.
American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) has already requested that about 3,300 flight attendants who are currently on voluntary leave return to the airline. It also intends to hire approximately 800 more cabin crew members by March 2022.
In addition to hiring new cabin staff, American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) intends to hire 300 new pilots by the end of 2021. In 2022, the number of flight crew may be doubled.
„Increasing passenger demand and new routes beginning later this year imply we need more flight attendants to manage the airline,” stated American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) in a letter obtained by the media.
Bookings have recovered as more vacationers travel within the United States, according to the business. The airline now plans to fly more than 90% of its 2019 domestic schedule during the summer season of 2021.
In order to save expenses during the global COVID-19 pandemic, the American airline furloughed around 8,000 flight attendants in 2020. As a result, thousands of flight attendants were offered voluntary leave for a limited time. Meanwhile, hundreds more airline pilots have retired early or are slated to retire in the coming years when they reach the mandatory retirement age of 65 in the United States.
The airline has even gotten into difficulty due to staffing issues. It had to cancel hundreds of flights in early July 2021 due to labor shortages and an increase in demand as the United States proceeded to restore borders and more travelers were anxious to go.
American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) may soon require pilots trained to operate the Boeing 737-800, Airbus A321-200, and Airbus A319-100 planes, based on the number of aircraft in storage. According to Planespotters.com, the airline now has 44 Boeing 737-800s, 23 A321-200s, and 6 A319-100 jets in storage that could be used again in the coming months.
