Maria and her husband, Joey, celebrated Maria's 60th birthday by flying business class to Amsterdam and staying at a hotel in France.
They have damage to their wallet. They paid the taxes on their flights because of their part-time jobs. The five-star hotel in France cost $75 a night, while the five-star hotel in Amsterdam cost $55 a night. The trip could have cost thousands of dollars.
The couple are part of a growing class of auxiliary travel workers who are stepping in as airlines and hotels after mass layoffs in 2020. Many of the new workers are well-versed in the perks and are willing to work for them.
Maria thought that it would be fun to fly with her friends in the airline industry. I got a call after applying when I was 58.
Maria was hired as a ramp agent for United Airlines in May of 2021. In most weeks she puts in 15 hours, the minimum to maintain access to the flight benefits afforded to all United employees, which include unlimited standby travel for herself and a loved one, and discounted fares to any location serviced by the airline.
Joey got a job as a front-desk agent for a hotel in California that offers deep discounted rooms and is part of the global portfolio of 18 brands.
The couple has taken advantage of domestic trips, including a $55-per-night stay at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. When Joey completes her training, they plan to make it a regular practice.
Joey said that he was hired to work on the weekend. We will travel Mondays through Thursdays. We will travel like we have lots of money.
The couple doesn't have a lot of money. Their new reality, where they can head to an airport and casually wait for a flight to any city in the world, still makes them want to pinch themselves.
There is a shortage of labor in the travel industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, domestic employment in the leisure and hospitality sector has fallen since February 2020. It's a crunch that's forcing companies to recruit at job fairs and offer bonuses and same day pay. They are being pushed to consider seniors for positions that are not senior.
Dan Bienstock is the chief people officer for the company that manages hotels. We have more job openings than ever before, and we are looking at ways to retain talent.
More than half of the 38 properties in the portfolio rely on seasonal guests and seasonal hiring. He said that the company isn't targeting older workers for summer jobs, but that they are trying to fill the summer work force with locals.
The labor pool for the hotel industry has been hit hard, and these entry-level jobs have become harder to fill since the Pandemic. Senior citizens who don't mind working hard can say that the travel benefit means a lot to them.
The appeal of a little extra cash may now be seen by those who don't need it. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of people over the age of 65 working in the hospitality sector has more than doubled in the last four years. Retirees and those on a fixed income are the hardest hit by inflation.
At least 65 percent of new hires at Rubino's properties are either post-retirement or older than 50. Representatives for several major airlines, including United, Delta and American, say they have not noticed a change in the demographic. Managers of hotels are.
The Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa in Florida has seen an increase in older workers. She said that the biggest challenge was getting people to show up for the interviews or show up for their first day of work. She said that older workers and those nearing retirement age are more likely to be hired more often.
Rhiannon Reynolds is the general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn resort in Fort Walton Beach, a small city in the Florida Panhandle, and she is getting flexible with older workers. Ms. Reynolds has hired many older workers over the past two years, including one who works a single shift each week and passes out towels at the pool. She said that everyone is transparent about why they are there.
When someone comes in for an interview and only wants to work one day a week, you wonder if they are qualified. It is great to have someone who is professional and reliable.
Some older workers have found a chance to get a passport for the first time with their new part time jobs.
When her father sold his trucking company in 2020, she felt lost. When Americans could still enter with just a driver's license or birth certificate, she traveled to Canada with her seven children.
She said that you can't afford to fly when you have seven children. She took a part-time position with Envoy Air at the airport in Montana. She sometimes works on the ramp. If the destination is international, she can fly for free. She and a co-worker went to Madrid on American Airlines. She used her passport for the first time. There was a visit to London.
If she wasn't already financially secure, she wouldn't have taken advantage of the job or its perks.
Paying your mortgage with flight benefits is not possible. She said that you have to be in a position to pay for it. It is quite strange. This would be my life, I didn't think so.
She said that she and her friend walked around all night in Madrid and decided on a restaurant based on the length of the lines outside.
After 17 years as a hotel manager in her home state of Wisconsin, the 57-year-old was ready to retire. When she retired, Ms. McGinnis missed out on the benefits of her previous job. She now works two shifts per week at the front desk of a hotel and plans to use her benefits at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico.
When I was a foster mom, I'd often get kids who didn't have anything. I know how to save money. She said that this played into it.
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