Australian airline Qantas has asked its top executives to work as baggage handlers at airports for three months.
It is an attempt to take the time to address the acute labor shortage in this sector.
The company’s chief operating officer revealed that it is looking for at least 100 volunteers to work at Sydney and Melbourne airports.
tasks include load and download BelongingsAs well as driving vehicles for carrying goods through terminals.
Like most of the global airline industry, Qantas is struggling to restart services as borders reopen.
“High levels of winter flu and an increase in Covid-19 in the community, coupled with tight labor markets, make resourcefulness in our industry challenging,” said Colin Hughes, Director Qantas Operations Manager, via email.
Leading by Example from Above
Hughes assured in his communication that the company “does not expect” that executives will exercise these functions alongside their full-timers.
Qantas has had to draw on its administrative staff, including senior management, to deal with staff shortages in its operational areas.
Managers and executives who agree to work as baggage handlers will do so in shifts of four to six hours a day, three to five days a week.
However, not everyone can act as a porter and the company wants applicants to be in good physical condition, as they need to be able to move weighted suitcases. up to 32 kg each,
A Qantas spokesperson told the BBC: “It is clear to us that our performance has not met the expectations of our customers or the standards we expect from ourselves, although we do everything we can to improve our operations.” are doing.”
“As we did last peak season, about 200 head office workers are helping out at airports during the busiest period since Easter,” he said.
bear the consequences
Qantas was one of the airlines most affected by the pandemic and the confinement imposed to contain it, resulting in the closure of borders between countries and the paralysis of commercial flights.
Heavy queues and flight delays have been reported at airports in the US and Europe.
To deal with the cost of the restrictions, the industry laid off thousands of employees, many of them ground crew.
In November 2020, Qantas launched the . outsourced more than 2,000 people to work on the landA measure that sought to reduce their financial losses along with job cuts.
In July, the airline had apologized after passengers complained of delays and lost luggage.
Many airports do not have enough staff to board and deliver the bags.
Australia had one of the strictest COVID-19 travel restrictions in the world, even for its own citizens, only to begin lifting controls in November 2021.
As measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus are eased around the world, Qantas and other major airlines have struggled resume your services on a pre-pandemic scale.
A situation has arisen in the United Kingdom where flights have been delayed or canceled for months, especially during the holidays. The lack of porters has contributed to Luggage storage in terminals,
Airports including Heathrow, the country’s largest and busiest, have limited daily passenger numbers during the summer to help manage demand.
This has prompted some airlines to suspend ticket sales for certain routes.
