For months, Southwest Airlines crew members have been raising concerns about layovers and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These issues include the inability to just find decent accommodations – many hotels are closed, others are under staffed, and some crews have talked about staying at the airport – but when they find a hotel they find a lack of availability Meals.
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Now the airline is trying to correct the situation, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Southwest Airlines is offering subscriptions to the DoorDash restaurant delivery service for thousands of flight attendants and pilots in an attempt to alleviate some of the problems that began with food and transportation shortages this summer.
Starting October 12th, Southwest will offer every active crew member a six month subscription to the meal delivery service so they can have meals delivered directly to their hotel.
“This pandemic has affected our daily lives more than we can count,” Southwest officials said in a memo to crew members. “When it comes to your work day, we know that the staffing problems in airports, hotels, restaurants and across the travel industry made it difficult to get a meal during your days and nights.”
The newspaper noted that the problem is not solely confined to Southwest.
American pilots and flight attendants have reported difficulties with room and board, ranging from staffing issues within the airlines themselves to a shortage of those planning hotels for crew members.
Unions said pilots and flight attendants show up to assigned hotels only to be told that a reservation has not been made or that the company has not made proper payment.
Southwest Airlines apologized to staff after the “challenging summer travel season” and sought to improve the situation by providing sandwiches and salads to take away from crew bases, the Morning News wrote.
DoorDash toll free delivery membership typically costs around $ 10 per month per customer. The crew members have to pay for the food themselves, but pilots and flight attendants also receive a daily allowance for food (that was around USD 2.30 per hour worked in 2019).
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