JetBlue Airways on Friday urged patience from its flight attendants as it races to hire hundreds of new employees before what it expects to be a monster travel season this spring and summer. “Please do not refuse an assignment you are assigned to operate; it is disruptive to the operation, lets down your fellow Crewmembers, and disappoints our Customers who rely on us to safely get them to their destination,” Ed Baklor, head of customer care and programs, said in an email to flight attendants. Travel demand snapped back faster than airlines had expected and they are now trying to hire thousands of workers to handle a surge in passengers this spring and summer. Airline CEOs this and last week told investors that they expect that strong demand — and customers’ willingness to pay more for tickets — will help cover the recent surge in fuel prices. “We are still unprofitable after two years and now face rising fuel prices and other inflationary pressures that make it challenging for everyone,” JetBlue’s Baklor wrote to crews. “With strong consumer demand and record hiring, we are anticipating a healthy summer. We will see the other side of this if we can count on your continued patience, partnership and teamwork along the way.” JetBlue didn’t immediately comment, but CEO Robin Hayes told a JPMorgan conference last week that the industry is facing capacity constraints partly driven by staffing. Baklor told crews that the airline is on track to hire 700 new pilots and flight attendants before the summer and that the carrier doesn’t want to simply hire for peak periods because it could mean overstaffing during seasonal lulls after the summer.<br/>
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Travelers can expect higher airfares this spring and summer, even on discount airlines. Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle told CNBC’s “Closing Bell” Friday that bookings and what travelers are paying for tickets as well as add-ons like baggage fees are the highest in the pandemic. “Even with the high fuel prices we believe we can be profitable this summer,” Biffle said. Jet fuel, generally airlines’ biggest expense after labor costs, has jumped 80% so far this year in the US to the highest levels since 2008 in March as Western nations imposed sanctions on Russia in protests of its attack on Ukraine. “We’ll have to gently raise our fares,” Biffle said. Frontier Airlines doesn’t hedge fuel by locking in prices using futures contracts. <br/>
A man was arrested at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta Tuesday after he punched a Southwest Airlines employee, according to police. Social media video of the incident shows Courtney Drummond shouting as he approaches a counter, and punching an employee. The video also shows several employees intervening. The Atlanta Police Department said Drummond refused to comply with flight attendants as a Southwest flight was being taxied from the gate to the tarmac. Police said Drummond was asked to leave the flight after the plane was forced to return to the gate due to his "aggressive behavior." "After Drummond was escorted off of the plane, he threatened a Southwest Gate agent several times and ultimately assaulted him," police said. Drummond was arrested on charges of simple battery, battery, and obstruction, and was taken to the Clayton County Jail. "Southwest Airlines has zero tolerance for any type of assault against our Employees or Customers," the statement said. "As a result of this inexcusable attack, the individual has been banned from flying with Southwest Airlines," Southwest Airlines said. Southwest also commended the actions of their employees "who responded to protect their colleagues during this unacceptable event," and thanked law enforcement for their response. According to the Clayton County Jail log, Drummond is being held on three charges, and his bonds equal $10,000 with $1,600 in fees.<br/>
Russian airline Pobeda, a low-cost unit of the state carrier Aeroflot, will ground 16 of its 41 Boeing B-737-800 jets until the end of 2022 to help it cope with Western sanctions, Interfax news agency said on Friday. “To maintain flight safety ... we will reduce the fleet to 25 aircraft. The remaining planes will not fly until the end of the year so that the spare parts we have accumulated will last until lost supply chains are restored,” the agency quoted acting general director Andrei Yurikov as telling employees.<br/>
Gulf carrier Kuwait Airways is to open services to a second UK destination, with flights to the city of Manchester. The airline will operate three-times weekly to Manchester from 1 May. Kuwait Airways will deploy Airbus A320neo twinjets on the route, according to information from its reservations system. The airline already serves London Heathrow. “Kuwait Airways is proceeding, according to well-thought-out and effective plans, in moving forward towards expanding its network of operations around the world,” says CE Maen Razouqi. He says the expansion will cover “new and diverse” destinations. Manchester is viewed as an important tourism destination in the summer season, Razouqi adds, for which demand has increased. Kuwait Airways is developing its network as it seeks to modernise its fleet with the introduction of A321neos – including long-range variants – as well as A330neos and A350s. <br/>
New Indian budget airline Akasa Air plans to launch its first commercial flight in June and is working to get all relevant licences, Chief Executive Vinay Dube said Friday. The airline is backed by billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, known as "India's Warren Buffett", who has teamed up with former chief executives of IndiGo and Jet Airways to tap into rising long-term prospects for domestic air travel in India. The airline aims to have 18 aircraft within 12 months from launch and will have 72 planes in five years, Dube said speaking at an air show in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. The carrier will fly within India. Dube did not say which cities it would serve. In November last year, Akasa Air, which will compete with other Indian airlines like IndiGo and SpiceJet, placed an order for 72 Boeing 737 MAX jets, valued at nearly $9b at list prices. <br/>