American Airlines is planning to hire 18,000 workers in 2022, on top of thousands of new employees this year to cater to a rebound in travel, CEO Doug Parker plans to tell lawmakers during a hearing about flight disruptions in recent months. The CEOs of American, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, and Delta Air Lines’ chief of operations, will face questions Wednesday from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation about mass flight cancellations and staffing struggles despite roughly $54b in federal payroll aid doled out to the airline industry to soften the Covid pandemic’s impact. American and Southwest canceled hundreds of flights during brief periods this fall, as they struggled with staffing shortfalls and bad weather. Both carriers have turned to incentives like extra pay or bonuses to avoid repeats during Thanksgiving, which went smoothly, and Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Airlines during the pandemic urged thousands of workers to voluntarily take buyouts or leaves of absence to help cut their labor bills since the aid package prohibited them from laying off staff.<br/>
oneworld
American Airlines has announced changes to its senior leadership team when current president Robert Isom takes over as CE on 31 March 2022. The carrier says on 14 December that the group will consist of nine executives who bring “diverse skills and unmatched experience” to lead the airline out of the global Covid-19 crisis. “These executives are all extremely capable and experienced leaders, and together, they form an unstoppable team,” Isom says. “Each of these individuals has played a key part in American’s recovery through the pandemic and I’m excited to work with them as we lead American forward into 2022 and beyond.” CFO Derek Kerr will take on the additional role of vice-chair, overseeing corporate financial functions, risk and corporate development. Steve Johnson, executive vice-president of corporate affairs, will take on a “new strategic advisory role” for the leadership team and the board, focused on strategy development, corporate governance, “economics and competition issues” and social, environmental and governance issues. Story has more.<br/>
British Airways will return to short-haul flying from London Gatwick next year, the airline has said as it confirmed the go-ahead of its planned subsidiary, BA Euroflyer. BA, which stopped flying from the West Sussex airport soon after the Covid pandemic started, will relaunch its short-haul leisure network in late March 2022, ending a break of almost two years. Flights will initially be operated by BA itself, but the airline intends to hive off the business to the subsidiary later next year once it has received regulatory approval. Its parent group, IAG, has said that a new standalone business was needed to make the resumption financially viable, citing years of losses for BA at Gatwick even before Covid hit. Tickets for flights to 35 short-haul destinations went on sale on Tuesday. Three Airbus short-haul planes will start operations in March, with the active fleet growing to 18 by the end of May. BA Euroflyer will – like the BA CityFlyer operation at London City – remain BA-branded. Its launch came after unions initially rejected the plans, which are understood to demand much more flexibility from pilots and crew in seasonal work than permitted under normal BA rostering. Thousands of staff were laid off during the pandemic, and many now could be rehired under inferior terms and conditions. The pilots’ union Balpa said the final agreement would “create up to 160 much needed pilot jobs in 2022” and had been tailored to fit the point-to-point flying model used by other major airlines. BA said fares would start from GBP39 each way, to be competitive with Gatwick’s no-frills carriers, led by easyJet, but would come with the airline’s usual luggage allowances and basic snacks onboard.<br/>
Cathay Pacific reported a second consecutive month of traffic decline in November, as the embattled carrier continues to face “significant challenges” in its business. The airline flagged the emergence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, as well as the Hong Kong government’s move to tighten quarantine restrictions among its challenges as it heads into the year-end. Chief customer and commercial officer Ronald Lam says the Omicron variant “has had an impact on sentiment for travel over the holiday season”, and that tightened restrictions have affected the airline’s ability to operate flights as planned. The airline, which warned of a “substantial” full-year loss for 2021, has adjusted its year-end schedules to operate at only 12% of pre-pandemic levels. “We continue to closely monitor developments as we review our passenger flight schedule for January and beyond,” adds Lam. In November, the carrier carried slightly over 70,000 passengers, about 85% higher year on year, but a plunge of more than 97% compared to the same month in pre-pandemic 2019. <br/>
Qantas will relaunch seasonal flights to Rome in June 2022, after an absence of over 18 years, marking its return to continental Europe. The carrier says it will operate thrice-weekly flights on the Sydney-Perth-Rome route, with its Boeing 787-9s. Flights will run from 22 June — in time for the peak European summer travel season — to 6 October 2022. Qantas adds that its Perth-Rome route will be the first time continental Europe is linked to Australia with a direct flight. Group chief Alan Joyce says Italy is the “largest market for us in continental Europe”, especially for those visiting friends and family in Australia, which has a significant Italian diaspora. The carrier has had a presence in Rome since the post-war era, when Rome was one of the multiple stops on its flagship ‘Kangaroo Route’ between the UK and Australia. It stopped flying to the Italian capital in 2003. Qantas’ return to Rome comes a week after the airline relaunched flights to India, following a decade-long hiatus. On 6 December, it operated the first flight between Sydney and Delhi, with flights from Melbourne to follow on 22 December. <br/>