American Airlines is planning to rent 18,000 employees in 2022, on high of hundreds of recent staff this 12 months to cater to a rebound in journey, CEO Doug Parker plans to inform lawmakers Wednesday throughout a listening to about flight disruptions in current months.

The CEOs of American, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines‘ chief of operations will face questions from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation about mass flight cancellations and staffing struggles regardless of roughly $54 billion in federal payroll help doled out to the airline trade to melt the pandemic’s influence.

American and Southwest canceled lots of of flights throughout quick intervals this fall, as they struggled with staffing shortfalls and unhealthy climate. Each carriers have turned to incentives like further pay or bonuses to keep away from repeats throughout Thanksgiving, which went easily, and Christmas and New 12 months’s holidays.

Airways throughout the pandemic urged hundreds of employees to voluntarily take buyouts or leaves of absence to assist lower their labor payments for the reason that help bundle prohibited them from shedding workers.

Now they’re scrambling so as to add employees after journey demand returns, competing in a good labor market that has impacted retailers, eating places, resorts and different industries.

American, which has about 130,000 staff together with its regional-airline subsidiaries, has employed greater than 16,000 staff this 12 months, similar to pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and reservations brokers, Parker mentioned in written testimony forward of the listening to.

“We consider this constructive momentum will proceed into subsequent 12 months, as we have set a goal of hiring a further 18,000 workforce members in 2022,” Parker mentioned in his testimony. “Every time we add to our ranks, it is like a dividend cost on the funding made in our workforce by way of the [payroll support program]; as an alternative of constructing again from collapse, we’re rising to supply extra promising careers in good-paying jobs to hard-working people who’re the lifeblood of our nation’s financial system.”

Southwest says it plans to rent greater than 8,000 employees in 2022 after including about 5,000 this 12 months.