UK budget airline EasyJet is to remove seats in some planes amid a shortage of cabin crew in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The British low-cost carrier will remove seats in some of its planes this summer so it can fly with fewer cabin crew, UK media reported.
Like many airlines, EasyJet is struggling to get enough crew as traveller demand ramps up in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
By taking out the back row of seats on its A319 fleet – limiting passenger numbers to a maximum of 150 – EasyJet will be able to cut the cabin crew to three instead of four, according to the BBC.
Civil Aviation Authority rules on the required number of cabin crew are based on the number of seats rather than the number of passengers in the plane.
The CEO of EasyJet, Johan Lundgren, has predicted that the airline will return to pre-Covid-19 flying levels this summer. It carried more than 96 million passengers in the 2019 year before the pandemic.
Airlines are busy trying to hire flight attendants to replace those who had their jobs cut in the last two years but, along with restaurants, bars and hotels, are reportedly finding it difficult.
