Over half of job applications by retrenched Jetstar Asia staff led to offers or interviews: CEO

SINGAPORE – Over half of some 900 job applications by more than 500 retrenched Jetstar Asia staff have led to offers or interviews.

Mr John Simeone, chief executive of Jetstar Asia, gave these figures on July 31 – the airline’s last day of operations – in an interview outside Jetstar Asia’s crew lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 4.

Besides the 54 per cent of successful or pending job applications, he added that the remaining staff are taking a break, making career changes or have not heard back on the job applications they sent in.

It was announced on June 11 that the

Singapore-based low-cost carrier would cease operations on July 31

after more than 20 years, citing rising costs and growing competition as reasons for its closure.

More than 500 Singapore-based employees, including over 100 pilots and nearly 300 cabin crew members, are being laid off.

In the days following the announcement of Jetstar Asia’s closure, there were concerted efforts by the National Trades Union Congress  and the aviation community to

place affected crew in new jobs

.

Mr Simeone said June 11 was the hardest day in his 26-year career in aviation, when he had to tell 550 people that the airline would not be operating past July 31.

He noted that just hours after receiving the news of their retrenchment on the morning of June 11, Jetstar Asia crew members remained professional and continued operating about 40 scheduled flights that very afternoon.

“While it was a tough day for me, it was a tough day for all our people – it was a tough message to hear. But they just came together, put their arms around each other and looked after each other,” added Mr Simeone.

Jetstar Asia senior cabin crew member Anne Ang, 53, told The Straits Times on July 31 that she almost cried when she was making her way to the airport for a flight departing for Phuket at 2.15pm that day, which would be her last flight as a cabin crew member.

Ms Ang said she was very grateful when Jetstar Asia accepted her as a cabin crew member six years ago, when she was 48, after she recovered from cancer.

Tearing up, she said her time at Jetstar Asia was “the best years” of her life, where she got to meet her “second family” whom she will miss the most after the last day of operations.

She added that she specially wore waterproof mascara to prepare herself in case she cries on her last flight, which she volunteered to be a part of.

Ms Ang told ST that her job application as a cabin crew member to another airline has been rejected, but she is still on the lookout for other cabin crew roles.

Customer service manager Jocelyn Chow, 61, who has been flying with Jetstar Asia for 13 years after she retired from being a Singapore Airlines air stewardess, said on July 31 she could not believe that it was the end for Jetstar Asia.

But Ms Chow said she was looking forward to giving passengers a good experience on their final flight to Kuala Lumpur on the afternoon of July 31 with Jetstar Asia, and that she would close the chapter by operating the flight with pride and professionalism.

She added that she will miss all her fellow cabin crew friends, whom she describes as family – especially the younger ones, who are like her sons and daughters.

Ms Chow has secured a job as a food and beverage executive at hospitality company Accor, which will provide services for some lounges at Changi Airport.

For pilot Nico Van Der Schyff, the last day of operations for Jetstar Asia was very sad and emotional as he felt that it was “a premature end to an era”.

Captain Van Der Schyff, 56, who has been flying with Jetstar Asia for 15 years, said every single person in the company stayed resilient even after the announcement of the airline’s closure, continuing to maintain the safety and effectiveness of operations.

From messages of encouragement to teddy bears, he cited examples of the overwhelming support he received from passengers over the past two months or so.

“And you know, they wanted to take so many pictures. I’ve never had so many pictures taken before,” he said.

Capt Van Der Schyff will be among the few pilots staying behind to fly the 13 Airbus A320 aircraft to the Qantas Group in Australia before he returns home to South Africa by the end of 2025.

He is planning to open an Italian family restaurant back home with his nephew, who is a pastry chef.

From around 6.30pm at the arrival hall, a group of Jetstar Asia staff, friends and family gathered to welcome crew operating the last few arriving flights. By 7.30pm, ST observed that around 200 people had crowded around one of the exits in the arrival hall.

The crowd had prepared printed banners celebrating Jetstar Asia crew’s contributions to the airline, customised cupcakes and bear plushie bouquets. All arriving pilots and cabin crew were welcomed warmly with loud cheers and applause, with some among the crowd getting emotional and tearing up.

Mr Simeone noted that Jetstar Asia was an operation that democratised travel for people in South-east Asia as one of the pioneering budget carriers in Singapore when it began operations in 2004.

He said the airline provided services for people to travel to new and unique destinations over the past 20 years, which would otherwise not have been possible for them to get to.

He said the airline is going to leave a legacy of a customer- and safety-focused business that operated through an exceptionally challenging and competitive environment for low-cost carriers in South-east Asia.

He noted there will be about 70 Jetstar Asia staff staying behind till end-October to handle regulatory processes with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, and about 30 of them will remain until the end of December to assist with the office closure and administrative tasks.