U.S. airlines ramp up hiring plans -- testimony

Major U.S. airlines will tell a Senate committee Wednesday they are ramping up hiring even as some raise concerns about a COVID-19 variant on demand, according to testimony seen by Reuters. JetBlue Chief Executive Robin Hayes will say in written testimony the airline is on track to hire 4,550 new crew members in 2021 and in 2022 plans to hire an additional 5,400 crew.

Major U.S. airlines will tell a Senate committee Wednesday they are ramping up hiring even as some raise concerns about a COVID-19 variant on demand, according to testimony seen by Reuters. JetBlue Chief Executive Robin Hayes will say in written testimony the airline is on track to hire 4,550 new crew members in 2021 and in 2022 plans to hire an additional 5,400 crew. Alaska Air Group Chief Executive Ben Minicucci said in testimony it plans to hire more than 3,000 people.

Delta Air Lines Chief of Operations John Laughter's testimony says the airline is hiring more than 6,100 Airport Customer Service Agents and more than 600 pilots. He added the airline is "prepared for, an uneven, choppy recovery even as the virus is being contained.. The Omicron variant has created further uncertainty, and there is no clear consensus on when business and international travel will return."