Wages for flight attendants at Swiss International Air Lines AG are likely to rise as the airline seeks to retain staff, said chief executive Dieter Vranks.
In an interview with the newspaper NZZ published on Saturday, Vranckx said Lufthansa-owned Switzerland is likely to offer higher wages to its staff next month as inflation weighs on the cost of living. .
“Wages will probably be revised upwards,” he said.
Airlines around the world have cut staff and canceled flights during the pandemic. Now they are struggling to find enough workers to man the flights when passengers return to travel.
Currently, the average salary for entry-level flight attendants is just 4,000 Swiss francs ($4,170) per month, the paper reports. The cost of living in Switzerland is among the highest in Europe.
Switzerland has returned to profitability after repaying the federal loans it took to survive during the pandemic, Vranckx said. The company plans to enter contract negotiations with the pilot in September in hopes of avoiding a strike.
