Airlines recall more staff

By Susan Hooper
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i's two major interisland carriers have been slowly recalling some of the more than 600 workers they had furloughed after Sept. 11, marking some good news for an industry hit hard by the downturn in travel after the terrorist attacks.

Aloha Airlines said yesterday it is recalling more than 70 of the workers it furloughed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to help the airline comply with new federal airport security requirements.

The move brings the total of workers Aloha has brought back since the attacks to about 100.

Aloha Airlines furloughed between 225 and 250 employees in September in response to the sharp drop in business. But in November, about 25 of those employees were hired into new security-related positions to help with a federal security directive, said Stu Glauberman, an Aloha spokesman.

Those employees had not previously been in security positions with the airline.

Glauberman said yesterday that the employees in the current recall include customer service agents as well as terminal and ramp service workers.

The newest security rules, which went into effect Jan. 18, call for airlines to increase baggage searches through a variety of methods. Some of the Aloha workers being recalled will be handling baggage, Glauberman said.

Hawaiian Airlines, which laid off 430 employees after the terrorist attacks, has recalled a "small number" of furloughed employees in the past few months, Keoni Wagner, a Hawaiian Airlines spokesman, said yesterday.

Wagner said the airline does not anticipate needing to recall any furloughed employees because of the new security measures.

"So far we've been doing fine with our current staffing," Wagner said.

Reach Susan Hooper at shooper@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8064.