Southwest Airlines ramps up hiring by 16% to ease flight delays, reduce overtime

Southwest Airlines has increased the number of employees it plans to hire by 16% to 5,200 to avoid flight disruptions and reduce overtime even as the airline is restricting service.

The airline plans to hire the new employees by the end of November to reduce delays and cancellations, CEO Gary Kelly said in a statement to employees on Monday. It has already hired 1,500 new employees to help achieve the goal. The new goal, raised from a sentence dated August 18, is intended to “support our future growth,” he wrote.

While Southwest hasn’t fully detailed its November and December capacity cut plans, capacity in the fourth quarter will be below 2019 levels, Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven told workers in an Aug. 27 memo. The airline previously said that capacity in the fourth quarter would match the level of two years.

The Dallas-based airline said last week that it would cut air traffic for the last four months of this year after staff complained about congestion and flight crews said they would be left without hotels, transportation or food in some locations.

“We know you are tired and you are running out,” Kelly told the staff on Monday. “What I hope you will take away from this is that we are 100% committed to improving the quality of your work day and preparing you for success. I hope these solutions bring much-needed relief. ”

The airline is incentivizing job referrals after seeing a “sharp drop” in qualified applicants. The airline also increased its starting wage to $ 15 an hour.

Southwest’s shares fell 3.4% to $ 49.17 on Monday, part of an industry-wide slump as the European Union imposed new travel restrictions from the US

Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg

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