Who is actually hiring right now (autumn 2026): what crew at each airline are seeing on the ground, not the press release
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#1 The hiring pages on this site are good and I use them, but they run on what airlines announce. This thread is for what crew are seeing: courses starting, bases opening, recruitment days that are real and recruitment pages that have been 'open' for a year without a course. I will start with what I know and please add your airline in the replies with the date so the thread stays useful.
What I can confirm from inside or from crew I trust, as of this month
- Virgin Atlantic: courses running, mostly Heathrow, a smaller Manchester intake. The assessment day is back to in person. Realistic timeline from application to course is four to six months.
- British Airways: continuous hiring at Heathrow on the current contract, Gatwick smaller. Courses monthly. The video interview to assessment gap is the long part.
- easyJet: the big UK bases all hiring for next summer already, assessment days across the autumn. Gatwick, Luton, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh confirmed by crew here. The training courses for spring start filling in January.
- Jet2: seasonal recruitment for next summer opening now at the northern bases. Permanent positions fewer.
- TUI: seasonal and permanent, Manchester, Gatwick, Bristol, Glasgow, Birmingham. Long haul courses smaller.
- Ryanair: continuous, everywhere, the Italian and Spanish and Polish bases especially. The contract type varies by base so ask.
- Wizz Air: hiring across the Central European bases, some Western European ones. Assessment days frequent.
- Emirates: open days running in the UK, Europe, South Africa, the US and Asia on a rolling basis. Golden call timelines are back to two to three months from the final. Courses weekly in Dubai.
- Qatar Airways: open days across Europe, North Africa, Asia. Casablanca, Istanbul, Manila and Bangkok confirmed by crew here this quarter.
- Etihad: smaller intakes, targeted events, more selective on languages.
- Turkish Airlines: language specific hiring for foreign crew, irregular, watch the page.
- SIA: walk ins in Singapore regularly, regional sessions occasionally.
- Delta, United, American: hiring in waves, video interview then in person, no visa sponsorship. Alaska and Porter and the Canadian carriers also active.
What is quieter than the pages suggest
A few European legacy carriers have recruitment pages that are technically open and have not run a course in months. Crew at those airlines can say which in the replies if they want to. The point is: an open page is not a hiring airline. A course starting is.
How to use this thread
Reply with: airline, base, what you have seen (courses, assessment days, batch sizes), and the date. Do not post rumours or 'I heard from a friend' without saying so. If your information is more than a month old, say that too. I will not edit this post but the replies will keep it alive.
And for applicants: the hiring pages on this site plus this thread is a better picture than either alone.
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#2 easyJet Manchester, cabin manager, this week: two assessment days in the last fortnight, both full, courses for March and April already being booked. The base is growing again for summer. Confirmed.
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#3 Emirates, purser, this month: courses running weekly, batch sizes of 20 to 26, the UK open days in Manchester, Birmingham and London confirmed by new joiners in my last three flights. Golden call timelines they report are eight to twelve weeks.
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#4 Qatar, Doha, this month: new joiner batches arriving regularly, with a lot of Moroccans, Filipinos and Thais in the last few. The Casablanca and Manila events were real and produced courses.
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#5 Jet2 Leeds, this week: the seasonal page for next summer is open and crew who applied in the first week already have assessment dates in November. Permanent positions posted for Manchester and Stansted only so far.
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#6 ITA Airways, Rome, this month: no course has started since spring. The page is open. I am posting this because Paul asked for the quiet ones and it is fair to say.
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#7 Porter Toronto, this month: hiring steadily for the eastern bases and a new western intake. Courses monthly. Canadians, the door is open.
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#8 BA Heathrow, this week: two new joiner batches on my last three trips, both from courses in the last two months. Gatwick intake is smaller but running. Timeline the new joiners describe is five to seven months from application.
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#9 Wizz Krakow, this month: an assessment day two weeks ago with about 90 people, a course starting next month. The Bucharest and Budapest bases also running days, per crew on my last flight.