Air New Zealand calls in temps to boost flight attendant ranks

Air New Zealand has hired 120 temporary flight attendants to cover increased flying over summer.

The new recruits come from more than 1800 applicants and will be aboard the airline's Boeing 777 aircraft, which are doing more flying as some of its Dreamliners are out of action at times for engine repairs.

It is the first time Air New Zealand has recruited for temporary roles across the peak flying season and they will work through until March.

The flight attendants are employed on fixed-term contracts and the airline says they will operate under the same terms and conditions as others in the fleet they're operating on.
The airline currently has more than 3000 cabin crew.

The temporary recruits are aged between 18 and 60 and include an ex-firefighter, neonatal nurse, sign language interpreter, a doctor, an archaeology graduate and a police officer who come from around the world.

Air New Zealand general manager of cabin crew Leeanne Langridge says she was impressed by the high calibre of skill and talent shown by the successful candidates.

"It's been incredible to see this new group of cabin crew bring their skills from previous roles and apply them to their new job in the sky. They've put in a tremendous amount of work throughout their intensive training and we're so excited to have them on board,'' she said.

Comment on the temp scheme has been sought from the union representing 8000 aviation sector workers, E tū .

According to the Government's careers.govt.nz website flight attendants earn about $37,000 to $45,000 a year while inflight managers earn up to $60,000 a year.

Flight attendants also get meal, accommodation, uniform and grooming allowances of between $7000 and $12,000 a year.

Among other attributes, flight attendants need to be able to swim 50m under two minutes and be able to tread water for one minute unaided.