Cebu Pacific rehiring retrenched cabin crew

MANILA – Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) on Saturday announced it will rehire its retrenched cabin crew.

The carrier had to retrench about 1,300 employees last year, as the airline industry was among the hardest hit by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

CEB spokesperson Carmina Romero said while she cannot give the exact number of flight crew among the 1,300, the airline will prioritize those who were laid off.

“Cabin crew first for this. Hiring started yesterday,” she told the Philippine News Agency.

Rehiring them comes as the country eases travel restrictions to more destinations, and as CEB prepares for growth and recovery.

In a statement, CEB vice president for People and Admin Felix Lopez acknowledged the country’s Covid-19 response, which he said has paved the way for “greater recovery” in the travel and aviation sectors.

“This in turn has brought about an uptick in travel demand and opened opportunities for us to hire additional cabin crew to support CEB’s growth and recovery,” he said.

The carrier has also announced that 100 percent of its flight crew were inoculated against Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Romero said CEB will fly Bacolod from Manila with fully vaccinated passengers every Tuesday and Thursday. The move is in support of the local government of Negros Occidental’s vaccination drive.

From twice weekly, CEB will increase Bacolod flight frequencies to nine times weekly beginning November 15. Flights that are exclusively for fully vaccinated individuals are every Tuesday and Thursday, from Nov. 16, 2021 to Jan. 15, 2022.