Virgin Atlantic seeks hundreds of new cabin crew as travel restrictions ease

Virgin Atlantic is recruiting new cabin crew for the first time in nearly two years as travel demand returns.  

The airline placed many cabin crew in a holding pool as a result of the pandemic. It brought back 750 cabin crew from that pool in 2021, and said an additional 230 would return to their jobs in the first quarter of 2022.  

Now it is also accepting external applications. The British carrier, founded by Richard Branson, said on January 12, 2022 that it wants to recruit a further 400 cabin crew. Contracts are on an initial six-month fixed term, with a view to being extended.  

“It’s the best jobs that make people fly, and we couldn’t be more excited to be welcoming so many new cabin crew members to the skies with our recruitment drive,” Estelle Hollingsworth, Chief People Officer at Virgin Atlantic, commented in a press release.  

The airline said it wanted to become more diverse and so is encouraging applications from all backgrounds. Virgin Atlantic said perks of the job include being able to visit destinations in its network, such as New York, Los Angeles and the Caribbean. 

The airline was hard hit by travel restrictions imposed by the United State on travelers from Britain. On December 13, 2021, it received further funding from shareholders Branson and Delta Air Lines.  

When the US opened its borders in November, Virgin Atlantic marked the occasion with a parallel take-off from Heathrow with rival British Airways. It has been rebuilding its network, also announcing on January 10, 2022 new direct services to Austin, Texas from May 2022.