Qantas asks executives to work as baggage handlers for three months

To address a severe labour shortage, the Australian airline Qantas has asked senior executives to work as luggage handlers for three months.

The company’s operations manager is searching for at least 100 volunteers to work at the airports in Sydney and Melbourne.

In addition to operating cars to transport luggage throughout airports, tasks include loading and unloading bags.

Much like the majority of the global airline business, Qantas is battling to restore its services as borders reopen.

According to Qantas’ chief operating officer, Colin Hughes, “the high rates of winter flu and a COVID increase across the population, coupled with the current tight labour market, make resourcing a problem for our business.”

Mr Hughes kept talking. You are under no obligation to accept this work in addition to your current full-time job.

The luggage handling positions required the managers and executives to work four- or six-hour shifts three to five days a week.

Qantas was among the airlines that suffered tremendously as countries blocked their borders and grounded aircraft as a result of the virus.

During the epidemic, the industry fired thousands of employees, many of them ground employees.

To reduce its losses, Qantas outsourced more than 2,000 ground staff positions in November 2020, in addition to the hundreds of other job layoffs it had already announced.

After customers complained about delays and missing bags last month, the airline issued an apology.

Australian travel restrictions were among the tightest in the world, even for their residents, and they didn’t start to loosen up until November 2021.

As efforts to stop the global spread of COVID-19 have weakened, Qantas and other big airlines have struggled to resume operations at the level seen before the pandemic.

Staff shortages have also affected UK airports and airlines, resulting in cancellations and delays throughout the holidays.

The lack of baggage handlers has also contributed to a backlog of bags in terminals.

To help manage demand, airports like Heathrow have capped passenger numbers over the summer. As a result, some airlines have suspended ticket sales for specific routes.