EasyJet plans to remove SEATS from aircraft this summer so it can fly less cabin crew as it fights staff shortages
- EasyJet will remove six seats from part of its A319 fleet this summer
- The aircraft can then fly with one cabin crew member less due to staff shortages
- Civil aviation safety laws require three cabin crews every 50 seats
By Jessica Warren for Mailonline
Posted: 18:08, 8 May 2022 | Updated: 18:08, 8 May 2022
EasyJet will snatch seats in part of its fleet this summer to be able to fly with fewer crews due to staff shortages.
The airline is struggling to meet growing travel demand as more Britons head abroad now that pandemic restrictions have been lifted.
In an attempt to resolve this, it is removing the rear row of 60 of its A319 aircraft, which will limit the aircraft to 150 passengers instead of 156.
This means that three crew members can operate the cabin instead of the usual four.
Easyjet removes the rear row of 60 of its A319 aircraft, which will limit the aircraft to 150 passengers instead of 156
Civil aviation safety laws require three cabin crews every 50 seats, regardless of the number of passengers on the flight.
A company spokesman said the solution would “build additional resilience and flexibility”, The Telegraph reported.
Since Easter, many airlines have struggled with a shortage of crews after cutting many staff during the peak of pandemic restrictions.
As demand rose again, it made airlines unable to recover numbers quickly.
Airline chiefs blame the shortfall in the government’s slow security screening process.
And cabin crew, who have been laid off, are less likely to return to the workforce after finding new job opportunities.
At the time, Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shaps accused airlines of not “preparing” for the Easter holidays.
EasyJet bosses said covid was the reason for the absences of employees during Easter, as the incidence rate in April rose to more than twice the usual rate.
While easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren has not criticized the government for staff shortages, the airline is believed to be waiting for 145 of its trained staff to approve security checks.
Eliminating the six seats in some of the A319’s fleet could reduce the need for approximately 300 cabin crew, industry sources suggest.
The removal of the six seats in some of the A319’s fleet could reduce the need for approximately 300 cabin crew, industry sources suggest.
An easyJet spokesman said the airline expects to return to flight levels near 2019 this summer.
Before the pandemic, it had about 300,000 passengers every day during the peak travel season.
Julia Lo Bue-Said of the UK’s largest group of independent travel agents, the Advantage Travel Partnership, said the “huge labor shortage” was one of the key issues affecting the aviation industry.
She told the BBC it was a “parody” that easyJet was removing some seats to reduce the number of crew needed on the flight.
The airline said its last six seats on each flight are usually occupied by last-minute bookings, so it does not expect their removal to affect holidaymakers who have planned their summer getaway ahead.
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