DALLAS — There are a lot of "help wanted" calls out there right now, but few industries have as urgent a need for workers as the airport industry. The summer travel season is nearly here and airport traffic is ticking back up.
On Friday, Dallas Love Field leaders are coming together to host a job fair at the nearby Dallas Enterprise Airport. Don’t worry if you don’t have a pilot or air traffic controller’s resume to bring along - that’s not who they’re worried about finding this time.
They’re on the hunt for cashiers, restaurant workers, custodians and parking attendants, among others. The workers who provide comfort and convenience to travelers and who will likely be just a short blip in the memory of most of those travelers’ vacations or business trips.
In fact, that's the goal.
“They’re gonna fill you up before you get on the plane,” said Mike Rimkus, who oversees operations at two Love Field restaurants. “They [passengers] want it quick, they want value, and they want to make sure it’s safe to eat.”
Rimkus is a regional manager for the company the Grove, which operates about 50 restaurants, coffee shops and concession stands at various airports across the country - everywhere from Dallas to Chicago, Vegas, and beyond. He says no matter the airport he’s in lately, he’s seeing the same thing in the concourses: a lot of passengers and a lot of short-staffed vendors.
“We’re all in the same boat and not just us, but all of the operations in the airports,” said Rimkus.
Staffing problems are the same in numerous industries. As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re finding themselves short staffed, largely due to workers who left or moved on to other careers while the virus was spreading rapidly. Now, especially in the service industry, many positions remain unfilled as people opt out of high stress and, often, low paying positions.
Rimkus said his company, and many servicing airports, try to offer competitive wages to entice workers, and he says they’ve been fortunate at the Grove to retain the majority of their employees throughout the pandemic.
However, they’re now in need of more help with a particularly busy summer travel season expected in the coming months. Many passengers are stir-crazy from the pandemic and traveling for the first time in more than a year. Along with all of those same challenges the rest of the service industry is facing, though, Rimkus says his particular industry tends to have some additional challenges in attracting workers.
Let’s face it: it means working at the airport. An airport job means dealing with more security and TSA rules every day, probably less than ideal parking and a federal background check just to get in the door. Rimkus adds that everyday restaurant occurrences like receiving shipments or getting supplies from storage tends to require extra steps as well - after all, those delivery trucks can’t exactly pull up to the back door of the kitchen that’s in the middle of an international airport.
So, with so much pressure to fill those positions in time for the crowds, Rimkus said his company and most staffing for these airport jobs are working together and doing what they can to make the jobs more attractive.
“Employees coming in, we’re starting them at a competitive wage,” he said.
Many, including the Grove, are also offering full-time benefits and hours to their workers. Rimkus said they’re even offering gift cards as incentives for workers to give them a shot and try a job out at one of their stands.
Those in the Dallas area can check out that Love Field job expo from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Friday, May 21 at Dallas Executive Airport, located at 5303 Challenger Dr. Parking is free and there will be on-the-spot interviews available with various vendors.