Almost half of all airport and airline workers (41.4%) are considering quitting the industry, new research reveals.
A survey of 1,700 workers found reasons for wanting to leave included pay and stress.
However, only 5% cited the current disruption at UK airports, 4.2% said it was due to angry and unreasonable passengers and just 4.2% said the job was affecting their mental health.
Two out of three claimed they haven’t had a pay rise in the last 12 months, with 82% having no additional or enhanced benefits over this period either.
The main reason for not returning to the sector after the pandemic was poor pay (58%).
The poll by jobs website CV-Library also found that 33.3% believe their job is too stressful for their current salary and 25% claim they have too much responsibility for their pay grade.
Lee Biggins, founder and chief executive of CV-Library said: “With the industry in such disarray, it comes as no surprise that so many airport workers are considering leaving.
“Attempts to turn things around have so far missed the mark and, with peak season now upon us, urgent action is required.
“Based on our data and the voice of both current and ex-airline and airport workers, if salary levels and benefits were enhanced, the crisis could be severely dampened.”
He added: “The industry has seen an increase of plus 6.2% new and active candidates over pre-pandemic levels but, with increased demand on household budgets and other industries taking heed of the market and offering more tempting packages, airlines and airports are missing out on securing the crucial staff they need to operate effectively and end the chaos for UK travellers.”