According to CNBC’s Leslie Josephs, a shortfall of workers has strained airports around the US as travellers return to the skies.
A worker shortage at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport became so severe in May that one of its top executives resorted to sending messages to retailers and concessionaires requesting they don’t steal each other’s employees.
“As you know we are experiencing one of the greatest hiring challenges in the history of DFW Airport,” said Ken Buchanan, Executive president of Revenue Management and Customer Experience in a letter reviewed by CNBC. “As we prepare for a busy summer, please continue to practice DFW Airport’s high standards of hiring operations and refrain from soliciting employees from other DFW operations.”
With an upswing in travellers, passengers travelling through the US, airports are reportedly being met with long security lines, hours long hold times with airlines and fewer options at the airport for food and beverages due to understaffing.
CNBC’s report also highlighted that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is offering $1,000 bonuses as part of its push to add 6,000 screeners by the end of September. So far, it has hired around 4,000 screeners. Airports serving Austin, Texas Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina, have informed travellers to arrive as much as three hours ahead of their flight due to long security lines.
Meanwhile, some airlines, which received $54 billion in federal payroll aid to keep them from laying off workers, are now racing to hire people. US leisure and hospitality jobs increased by 292,000 last month, with two-thirds of the sectors’ employment gains coming from food service and drinking establishments. The national trend that has challenged managers trying to fill these types of jobs is even more acute at airports, where employees have to undergo a federal security check.
The US travel industry’s recovery has accelerated since COVID-19 vaccines rolled out broadly this spring. TSA airport screenings have rebounded to about 80% of 2019 levels, a sharp turnaround from last year when passenger volume in the US dropped to the lowest levels since 1984. $20 billion dollars in federal aid for US airports across three national coronavirus relief packages since March 2020 have included $8 billion in airport grants, $800 million of which was set aside for rent relief for airports retailers and food and beverage operators.
Meanwhile Les Gunderson, COO at Montana Gift Corral, which operates 11 gift shops and four restaurants in Bozeman, Montana, and Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, told CNBC’s Josephs that in order to meet demand, “We’re hiring more high school students than we ever did.” The company has also sent out flyers to nearby towns, advertising £2,000 bonuses for workers.
Bozeman has been a popular tourist destination during the pandemic with travellers seeking outdoor destinations where physical distancing has been possible. The airport had 130,942 revenue passengers last month, up almost 18% from May 2019. Bozeman Airport’s spokesman, Brian Sprenger, said airport officials expect this month’s passenger totals to be up 35% to 40% form two years ago.
And in Orlando, Florida, Yovannie Rodriquez, Chief Administrative Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, told CNBC the airport is holding job fairs to ensure concessions are open as tourists return to the popular destination after theme parks reopened.
Read the full CNBC article here.
