Southwest, Dallas-based budget airline plans to hire flight attendants for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago.
All of its flight attendants on leave will be recalled by June 1, however a Southwest spokesman said it is too early to determine how many flight attendants will be re-hired.
“While it is too early for us to confirm the exact number of new-hire flight attendants that our schedule might require, we look forward to the possibility of welcoming new members to our inflight operations team later this year,” – said Brian Parrish, Southwest spokesman.
The company is also starting to hire ground staff at some airports, Parrish said.
The airline recently said it planned to recall flight attendants who took temporary leave, at the company’s urging, next month.
Southwest has begun reaching out to candidates who had conditional job offers when the pandemic froze hiring last year.
The carrier said it’s not ready to re-hire pilots. Pilots are often the first to be hired because it can take up to three months or longer to complete the necessary training.
