According to a company message, flight attendants at JetBlue Airways will be offered a $1,000 bonus if they don’t call in sick between April 8th and May 31st.

Part-time attendants will be offered $500 if they hit their attendance rate, while staff will also be offered a bonus of $100 for picking up open trips.

The move comes as travel firms worldwide continue to struggle with staffing logistics amid a rebound in travel demand.

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Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Why is JetBlue offering these bonuses?

The bonus scheme comes as JetBlue and other American carriers are trying to boost network capacity to deal with a rebound in air travel demand.

The airline has recruited more than 2,300 staff this year, but staffing issues have persisted and have even caused flight cancellations at times.

Last week, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines canceled more than 500 flights in a two-day period, largely due to poor weather in Florida, but staffing issues exacerbated the situation.

Ed Baklor, JetBlue’s head of customer care and programs, said in the memo:

“The spring rewards programs comes at a time where every flight makes a difference as hours are tight and staffing levels are not where they need to be.”

Airlines have been offering bonuses and increasing their minimum pay as a tight labor market has increased the leverage of workers.

However, pay increases, such as Delta’s 4% increase in March, come at a time when many have seen their wages frozen over the pandemic.

Rising inflation is also reducing the benefit that staff will feel from any pay increase. US inflation hit a 40 year high of 7.9% in February.

However, for airlines like JetBlue, rising cost may work in their favor, making staff more likely to take them up on their offer.

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ULCC Spirit Airlines had the least satisfied customers. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

JetBlue’s Spirit offer

The news comes on the back of JetBlue entering into talks with Spirit Airlines over a possible merger.

Spirit Airlines had been planning to merge with Frontier. But in a move that has surprised plenty of pundits, JetBlue recently made an all-cash offer of $33 per share.

Commenting on the news, Robin Hayes, chief executive officer at JetBlue, shared the following about the takeover in a company statement:

“We are pleased the Spirit Board recognizes the compelling value for all stakeholders that JetBlue has offered. We believe JetBlue is the best partner for Spirit, and we look forward to engaging with the Spirit Board to finalize our combination, to create a national low-fare challenger to the four large dominant U.S. carriers that will result in lower fares and better service for customers. As a combined company, we expect we will be able to deliver superior value on a national scale to customers, crewmembers, communities, and shareholders.”

While both JetBlue and Frontier argue that their respective mergers will reduce costs for passengers, any takeover deal will likely attract intense antitrust scrutiny from authorities.

Spirit’s board will also take time to scrutinize all the deals on the table before coming to a final decision.

What do you think about JetBlue’s $1,000 bonus and its takeover bid? Let us know in the comments below.