Due to lack of staff
Australian airline Qantas is asking executives to help out in baggage handling
Qantas is looking for at least 100 volunteer executives to work in baggage handling for three months (icon image)
© Axel Heimken / Picture Alliance
To address the staff shortage, Australian airline Qantas has asked its executives to work in baggage handling for three months. During the lockdown, the airline had laid off 1,600 employees.
Holidaymakers all over the world will feel the lack of staff at airports this summer – including long queues, delays and baggage chaos. The operations manager of the Australian airline Qantas has now even called on his own executives to help out in baggage handling for three months. At least 100 volunteers are needed at Sydney and Melbourne airports to load and unload baggage and drive baggage vehicles.
The “BBC” quotes Qantas’ managing director Colin Hughes from an email that the many cases of Covid and flu diseases and a tense situation on the job market made it difficult to find staff. It also states that the proposed concept has already worked in the past: since Easter, around 200 employees from the main administration have been helping out at the airports.
Qantas managers are said to work in baggage handling two to five days a week
Of course, it is not expected that the managers will help out in addition to their full-time job, according to a message from the airline to its employees. After all, they are supposed to spend two to five days a week with four to six hours of work per day in baggage handling. A requirement for the short-term temporary job can also be found in the notification: you should be able to lift luggage weighing at least 32 kilos. There will also be extensive training to do the job properly.
Qantas issued a public apology in July after numerous passengers complained about delayed flights and missing luggage. A Qantas spokesman told the BBC that the airline is aware that its recent performance has not met its own standards or customer expectations. However, all registers would be pulled to improve this.
Qantas had previously laid off 1,600 baggage handlers
According to the “Canberra Times”, Qantas had laid off 1,600 employees from baggage handling during the Corona-related lockdown and largely outsourced this service, which the Australian Federal Court of Justice had declared illegal. Qantas previously announced that it would appeal.
During the pandemic, many airlines in other countries had also laid off their employees. Also because these then migrated to other sectors, there is now a lack of personnel in many places. Many airlines are therefore finding it difficult to cope with the renewed increase in travel volume.
Sources: BBC, The Canberra Times