Delta Air Lines, the world's biggest carrier, will hire 700 airport ticket and gate agents to help handle increased summer traffic and operations disrupted by weather.
The additions are on top of 300 pilot and 300 reservation agent jobs recently filled by the Atlanta-based airline, Chris Kelly, a Delta spokeswoman, said in an interview. The 700 airport agents will be hired nationwide, primarily at about 20 of Delta's largest airports, Kelly said.
"With an airline the size and scope of ours, there is an irregular operation somewhere in the system almost daily," Kelly said. "We want to get better at treating those like a regular operation and doing all we can for our customers when they do happen."
Delta employees will be able to apply for the open positions and part-time workers can seek full-time status before the company takes applications from outside the airline, she said. Hiring for the airport jobs will begin "in the next several weeks," Kelly said.
Delta, which has more than 70,000 employees, fell 48 cents to close Friday at $13.71. The shares have gained 20 percent this year.
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