Delta Air Lines plans to hire 5,000 workers as it starts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic slump

Delta Air Lines announced that it will be hiring 5,000 new employees as the company starts to work to fully recover from the slump brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been more than a year since the lockdowns were imposed, and the air carrier is taking steps to return to normal.

Now, with the apparent increase in demand for travel, Delta Air Line’s chief executive officer, Ed Bastian, acknowledged that the customers are starting to return, as shown with the growing flight bookings and travel reservations.

According to Fox Business, CEO Bastian said that as their customers return, they were presented with “some unforeseen challenges,” and this is why they have decided to launch job hirings for at least 5,000 additional workers. The surge in travel demand would certainly mean that Delta Air Lines will need more people to be able to respond to the demand and provide the best service to them.

“After a year of lockdowns, it’s been heartening to see so many of you returning to the skies this summer and reclaiming your lives,” the CEO said in a statement that was posted on Delta’s news hub. “While we are pleased to welcome you back, the unexpected pace of the return of our customers has resulted in some unforeseen challenges as we ramp up to meet demand and handle a record-breaking level of calls.”

He added that as customers take that much-deserved vacation or travel to be with loved ones again, including friends and colleagues, Delta Air Lines knows that the last thing they want now is to experience long hold times when calling for reservations. Bastian went on to say that he is also sure that customers do not want delayed flights or changes in schedule, so to prevent this, they are hiring more people.

Finally, Delta Air Lines' main goal is to get 5,000 new employees on board, and 3,000 of them will go to Airport Customer Service and other job posts in the operation units. The company also needs 1,300 specialists who will be trained, and they should be ready to work for the customers by September.