Author: Close the curtains.
According to the news of flying friends, the United States ** recently revealed that half of the American airports have a "shortage of manpower" problem, which has brought hidden dangers to aviation safety and caused confusion to business growth.
Photo: Check-in counter at Las Vegas Airport Photo: Close the curtains.
The U.S. civil aviation industry has just experienced an "all-time high," with TSA, which is in charge of airport security, say 2.9 million people passed through security gates at airports across the country on Thanksgiving this year, a record high. But that can't hide the embarrassment of a shortage of staff, with 45 per cent of airports in a survey of 100 airports saying they were understaffed and 61 per cent concerned about security implications.
U.S. airports have been understaffed for more than two years. As the aviation industry was hit hard at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, airlines and airports alike laid off a large number of employees. But I didn't expect that the United States has been recovering since 2021, and after entering 2023, it will exceed the pre-epidemic level. As a result, from pilots to security screeners, the U.S. civil aviation industry is desperately short of manpower.
Photo: U.S. civil aviation industry ** too fierce Photo: Close the curtains.
The shortage of manpower in the aviation industry is not only plaguing the United States, but also affecting airports in Western Europe. In last year's news, there were long queues at airports in Western Europe, and it even took 4 to 6 hours to board the plane, and some security guards fainted on the spot. London Heathrow and the Dutch airports of Amsterdam have begun to limit the number of flights, which has caused a lot of criticism.
Even the smallest airports need a full set of personnel such as security, luggage, towing, fuel, etc., and the salary is expensive. The U.S. has yet to limit the number of flights due to lack of staff, and the U.S. Department of Transportation has announced that the flight cancellation rate is even lower than in 2019. However, half of the respondents believe that their airports have not yet fully recovered capacity, and the main reason is still "lack of staff".
Pictured: Transformed into a supermarket and food court to alleviate dissatisfaction Photo: Close the curtains.
Lack of manpower can cause passengers to stay at the airport longer than expected, affecting the consumer experience and thus the airport's reputation. Americans are very concerned about "reputation", and some airport operators are ready to improve their shopping and dining facilities, hoping to turn airports into supermarkets and food courts, as Japan has done, to alleviate dissatisfaction and increase revenue.
However, in the final analysis, airports still need to bring in more airlines and more routes, so the problem of manpower shortage will have to be solved sooner or later. There is only one way to solve the shortage, and that is a raise. U.S. airlines have gone through multiple rounds of pay increases, and the number of pilots is now sufficient. It is estimated that the airport will also have to raise salaries for several more rounds before the manpower can meet the standard.