Chief executive Robin Hayes told the BBC the New York airline, which launched its first transatlantic services last year, was stepping up its recruitment efforts in an attempt to keep pace with people leaving the industry. "I now need to over-hire just to keep the number I need," said Hayes. "With Covid, we lost a lot of experienced people."

Hayes said that by the end of 2022, half of JetBlue’s employees will have been with the airline for less than two years. "Even if you can get the people, they don’t have the same experience as someone who was doing that job for 10 or 15 years. It’s going to take longer for them to learn the skills."

JetBlue has upped training capacity by adding more classrooms and simulator space to allow it to continue hiring at pace, said Hayes, who explained the rate of attrition was much higher than usual. "You’re hiring but then they’re leaving more quickly so you have to adjust your hiring plan."

Last month, JetBlue agreed a US $3.8 billion deal to acquire Spirit Airlines, which JetBlue said would generate significant annual savings. It subsequently recorded a US $188 million second-quarter loss despite record April, May and June revenue of US $2.3 billion, with the main cost impact being higher fuel prices.