Job students as steward(ess) on Brussels Airlines flights

From the summer of 2025, Brussel Airlines will employ job students on its flights. This will be a first for the airline. The students will receive the same training and pay as other cabin crew.

Brussels Airlines wants to start with up to 60 job students, who will come in addition to the normal temporary recruitments. In total, the airline is hiring 180 temporary workers.

Same pay

According to Brussels Airlines spokesperson Nico Cardone, using job students on planes during the busy summer is not exceptional in the sector. The job students will have to undergo the same training as regular cabin crew, the only difference being that their training days will fall on weekends and school vacations.

They must pass the same exams. That also means, for example, that they must pass 80% on safety.

The use of job students is not saving for the airline. After all, they receive the same pay, with the same bonuses. Brussels Airlines sees it as a test. Possibly, job students could eventually work on weekends. Permanent employees with children would then be able to be home more often on weekends and vacations.

The unions consider the measure rather favorably, especially if it helps to reduce the workload for permanent staff. However, it should not replace permanent jobs.

Record summer

Brussels Airlines has also had a record summer. From July to September, it posted an operating profit of 78 million euros, 8,3% better than a year earlier and a new record thanks to better performance on the long-haul network and improved punctuality.

Brussels Airlines carried 2.5 million passengers during the summer quarter, 1.3% more than in the third quarter last year. However, the number of flights was 2.5% lower. The highest seat occupancy of the entire long-haul network was for Kenya’s Nairobi, a new destination.

However, the excellent summer season does not make up for the year. Operating profit (adjusted EBIT) after nine months is still only 32 million euros, 27 million euros less than at the same time last year. Brussels Airlines does say it is still confident of “solid profitable results” for the whole year.

No more exceptional profits for Lufthansa

Parents company Lufthansa’s net profit fell 8% in the third quarter compared to a year ago. This was due to higher maintenance costs, expenses, and staff salaries, including an average wage increase of 12.5%. Net profit was 1.1 billion euros for Europe’s largest airline group, which also owns Austrian, Swiss, Discover, and Eurowing.

From July to September, nearly 40 million passengers traveled on Lufthansa’s airlines, up 6%. The occupancy rate was 87%, slightly higher than the same period last year.

However, due to the increase in airline capacity, the price of passenger flights fell 3.5% year-on-year. The decline was extreme for flights to Asia (-14%).