[ad_1]
ALDEN WILLIAMS / Stuff
Air New Zealand is seeking cabin crew to help operate its regional turboprop fleet.
After a year of deep cuts, Air New Zealand is looking to hire regional cabin crew as domestic air travel recovers from Covid-19.
The national airline is seeking applications for the Napier, Nelson, Tauranga and Wellington cabin crew positions on a six-month fixed-term contract.
The hiring round comes to the end of a painful year for the airline which, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, reduced its size by a third and laid off more than 4,000 employees.
Cabin crew accounted for roughly a third of job losses, including 210 regional crew jobs on its ATR and Q300 aircraft.
READ MORE:
* Air New Zealand repatriates 7,100 passengers stranded by Covid-19 in 2020
* The Covid case being transferred to Wellington by turboprop would not have been infectious at the time, says Air NZ
* Son of former Air New Zealand CEO Christopher Luxon joins the airline as a cabin crew
During the shutdown, Air New Zealand was operating only 1 percent of its total pre-pandemic capacity, but while New Zealand has been at alert level 1, its domestic capacity has risen to more than 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
In November, Air New Zealand carried 671,000 domestic passengers, 28% less than in the same period in 2019, and added more capacity to its domestic schedule for the holiday period.
Supplied
Applicants must reside within a 90 minute commute from the base they are applying for.
Air New Zealand posted an announcement for cabin crew roles on its website on December 23, and applications were closed on January 4.
The announcement stated that Air New Zealand was looking for crew to join the business, as its operation began to grow again.
“You will play an integral role in flying the kiwis across the country while getting to know all the regional locations.”
The New Zealand-based flight attendant meant the crew was never far from home and “there are no international trips to worry about,” the ad read.
Successful applicants would work in a team of two, ensuring safety in the cabin, providing in-flight service to clients and in contact with pilots and ground personnel, he said.
The atmosphere on regional flights was “intimate and informal,” allowing candidates to converse with customers and tailor their customer service for a wide range of passengers.
“You will be able to step up, take care of business during the flight and really own your role.”
Candidates must be New Zealand residents or permanent citizens or Australian citizens, have at least two years of customer service experience in a high-pressure position, and commit to working shifts, weekends and holidays and be available for nights regular away from home.
Applicants must reside within a 90-minute trip from the base they are applying for, he said.
The government careers website careers.govt.nz says job opportunities for flight attendants are scarce due to the reduction in passenger flights as a result of Covid-19.
According to census figures, 3,015 flight attendants worked in New Zealand in 2018.
It says that based on 2018 information from Air New Zealand, flight attendants are paid between $ 39,000 and $ 45,000 a year. The payment of flight attendants varies depending on whether they work on domestic, trans-Tasmania or international flights
The crew that worked their way to becoming flight service managers can earn up to $ 60,000 per year, he said.
Careers.govt.nz says flight attendants must be able to swim 50 meters unaided, have a certain level of vision to perform emergency procedures without glasses, and have no visible tattoos or body art.
However, Air New Zealand recently relaxed its strict rules on tā moko (traditional Maori tattoo) and non-offensive tattoos.
In early December, Air New Zealand began removing 175 cabin crew from the A320 who had been on Covid-related leave, while preparing for the travel bubbles without quarantine.
A report by international aviation data firm Cirium shows that the pandemic and its aftermath ended 21 years of growth in global passenger traffic in a matter of months, reducing traffic in 2020 to levels last seen in 1999.
Passenger traffic is estimated to have decreased 67 percent from the previous year.
Cirium predicted airline consolidation, particularly in Asia-Pacific, where more domestic competitors would merge or be acquired.
He was also predicting that the adoption of artificial intelligence technology would accelerate the automation of the traveler experience.
