Mail Online

Airline’s solution to a summer of holiday chaos? Give its staff an extra four days off

By Francesca Washtell DEPUTY CITY EDITOR

JET2 has given staff an extra four days of annual leave this year for the sake of the their mental wellbeing after a summer of holiday chaos.

Thousands of Britons have had muchawaited trips abroad scuppered by mass flight delays and cancellations.

Jet2 – which has been hit by the disruption – said the extra days off could be taken at any time this year and was a show of appreciation for staff working during the ‘challenging’ period.

But the move is likely to raise eyebrows from passengers who have had their own holiday hopes dashed.

It comes after Jet2 was slammed by pilots’ union Balpa in July for allegedly refusing to recognise concerns about ‘fatigue and stress caused by roster disruption’ that could increase the risk of accidents.

Jet2 is known for its package holidays to sunny destinations and Christmas markets – though it also operates a fleet of around 100 aircraft.

The extra leave, detailed in the company’s annual report, comes as the group has also set up a ‘SharewithSteve’ email account that disgruntled employees can use to send messages directly to the company’s chief executive, Steve Heapy, which ‘he personally responds to’.

The airline declined to say how many days’ leave its staff typically have, but the workplace review site Glassdoor indicates that it is usually 30.

A number of job openings on the Jet2 website say the company offers 34 days of leave a year.

In its annual report, the company said of the extra leave: ‘This will allow them further time to focus on their wellbeing and is a show of our appreciation for their dedication and loyalty throughout such a challenging period.’

The £2billion company refused to comment or clarify how many people would benefit from the additional holiday.

Jet2 said that it was employing about 12,500 workers this summer.

It ran up a loss of £389million in the year to March – which it said was fuelled in part by customers’ worries about the Government’s previous ‘traffic light’ system that banned travel to and from other countries, often at short notice, based on Covid risk.

Jet2 was dubbed the most reliable

UK airline last month, when it ran 100 per cent of flights, although many were delayed.

Founder and executive chairman Philip Meeson has lashed out at ‘woefully ill-prepared and poorly resourced airports’, which he claims are behind much of the chaos. A recruitment crisis means there are far fewer baggage handlers, security and other airport staff than before Covid.

Package holidays are becoming more and more popular with travellers – who are keen to simplify the number of companies they need to claim refunds from if their plans go wrong.

Mr Meeson added: ‘The all-inclusive package is a wonderful product for challenging economic times – all-in holiday cost certainty in a one click purchase – perfect for those budget-conscious customers.’

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