Pinstripe | Airline staffing shortages are a hot topic

Here’s what my ‘Paris party of five’ experienced

My first flight since the world partially reopened was in July 2022. In celebration of a friend’s 40th we jetted off to Paris, arriving to a tasty 29 degrees and escaping the thunderstorms and relentless torrential rain of NSW. During our few days, Europe put on its best performance. Heatwave or no, the rejuvenation of returning to international destinations was worth it — well, mostly.

Having decided on this article pre-trip, I worded up my team of five travel buddies to observe and note their travel process and the level of customer service received as a ‘person on the street’ international traveller post-COVID-19. How have the frequently discussed airline staff shortages impacted the everyday traveller, I wondered. Was the experience different between carriers? Media hype aside, I wanted to document perspectives first-hand.