JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A massive increase in air travel with cities and states easing COVID-19 restrictions means hundreds of jobs need to be filled in and around Jacksonville International Airport.
So with the resumption of increased flight activity, at least 20 companies will be looking for more employees during a job fair set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Jacksonville Airport at 2101 Dixie Clipper Drive.
Major airlines, rental car companies, hotels, aviation, cleaning and maintenance companies and private parking businesses will be on hand, along with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.
“As air travel continues to increase, companies are staffing up to meet the demands of passengers,” Jacksonville Aviation Authority CEO Mark VanLoh said. “This job fair offers those looking for an exciting airport career the opportunity to interview with businesses operating at JAX.”
The airport, like most across the nation, saw a massive decrease in air travel during the height of the pandemic due to all the restrictions and shutdowns being enacted. Thanksgiving and Christmas saw upticks in travel, allowing Jacksonville to open some shuttered satellite parking and a few retail operations in its terminals.
April 2021 saw an 87.4 percent increase in scheduled flights over April 2020. That's 56,054 available seats on 448 flights last month versus 30,442 on 239 flights the prior April, airport officials said.
The increase in flights comes as the airport reopened satellite parking lots that had been shut down due to COVID-19. Some airlines also have announced new nonstop routes to and from Jacksonville.
JetBlue started flying nonstop to Los Angeles International Airport in March, plus service to LaGuardia set to start in October. Silver Airways recently started flying to Greenville-Spartanburg and will fly nonstop to New Orleans in June.
Dan Scanlan: (904) 359-4549