3 answers
Lillian
Student
North Branch, Michigan
3
Questions
Asked
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What issues may I come across as a flight attendant?
I know that there is not a degree needed for becoming a flight attendant so I'd like to know any of the hardships I may face in this job #airline-industry #flight-attendant #career #travel #difficulties
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3 answers
Rebecca Harris
Manager, Right of way
4
Answers
Glendora, California
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Hi Lillian,
I have a good friend that has been a flight attendant for many years. She loves her job. I will say her biggest pet peeve is people poking her trying to get her attention. I am sure starting off you will not get the best choice of schedules, however it is a great way to travel and give you the opportunity to see places that you would not have thought were on your bucket list!
I have a good friend that has been a flight attendant for many years. She loves her job. I will say her biggest pet peeve is people poking her trying to get her attention. I am sure starting off you will not get the best choice of schedules, however it is a great way to travel and give you the opportunity to see places that you would not have thought were on your bucket list!
Pamela Arthur
International Flight Attendant at United Airlines
1
Answer
Grapevine, Texas
Updated
Pamela’s Answer
Being a Flight Attendant is a great career. As is any job there will be good times and not such good times. Starting out you will not make very much money but you will have great benefits, including being able to fly for free. Also, when you start out count on working mostly weekends and holidays but in this career you can trade and drop trips. There is tons of flexibility. The more senior you get, the better trips you will get. I would say the hardships are working some very long days at times, having very early flights so getting up to start your day at 3:00 am is not unusual and storms will disrupt everything. You will have turbulence and some nasty passengers (but not that often). Most people are very nice. Safety of the passengers is of upmost importance. But being flexible and having flexibility is the key to enjoying this career. Plus, you will get to see the world and you will meet great and very fun people. I hope you go for it and get the job and enjoy it as I have.
Dr Fisch
Flight Attendant
34
Answers
Denver, Colorado
Updated
Dr’s Answer
Hi Lillian. Good question. I'm not sure if you're still interested in this career or are possibly a flight attendant already by now, but I'll add my answer here too. Pamela and Rebecca already gave good and accurate advice. And although there are many benefits and the upside definitely outweighs the downside of this job, I'll focus my answer on the issues and hardships since that was your question specifically.
First and foremost, it really depends on the type of personality you have. If you're a go-with-the-flow kind of person, then you can pretty much just roll with it and not have any major issues. If you're the kind of person that needs lots of stability and planning throughout your day, you'll have a difficult time inflight. Although the airline crew schedule is planned, for the most part, there is a lot of flexibility because of factors out of our control (e.g., weather). You basically just need to be where you need to be at the right time with your crew and then see where the day takes you. It's everyone's responsibility to show up on time and be prepared. Most days go roughly as planned but some days go wildly off course with cancelled flights and re-routing. At times it will seem like you're literally living out of a suitcase. There's a definite distinction of "being" when comparing work days to days off. It's like living 2 different lives. You're either completely off work or completely at work.
Sometimes you may feel on your own when you get separated from your crew or get reassigned, bouncing between many different crews. Just remember to be where you need to be at the right time and you'll be fine. This can sometimes be confusing when hopping across many different timezones but just be mindful of that and double-check (or triple, or quadruple-check) your schedule to make sure you got it right. I've been flying for almost 20 years and still often triple-check my schedule and set multiple alarms, etc, to make sure I'm on top of that.
You will definitely have to separate from your "normal" friends and family when you start flying but you'll quickly make new friends with all the crews you'll be working with. Also, you'll likely remain friends with many from your training cohort.
It will also be tough to memorize many new things, especially during training. There's a quick learning curve. You have to learn about different types of aircraft, safety and security procedures, public announcements and slew of other need-to-know procedures and facts. It's a lot in a short time, but it's doable. Training usually lasts about a month and then there's an annual one-day refresher class.
After initial training, you'll earn your wings and will start learning your actual routines (onboard and hotel overnights). Experienced flight attendants will whip through all the tasks quickly and make you seem like you're moving in slow motion compared to them. I'm referring to doing your security and equipment checks, doing "service" on the plane, making your public announcements and even getting ready for your day in the hotel room. At first it's all new and takes time, but as with everything if you do it enough times it becomes 2nd nature and you become really proficient at it.
The passengers are a mixed bag. Most are great. There are a few however that could be... challenging. Most of the time they don't even know that they're being... challenging. But think of it like this. If you're a dentist or dental hygenist and you spend most of your days in a dental office, you'll know the place very well. But most people like us (assuming you're not a dental specialist) come in as patients or customers and we don't have a clue about where to stand, what to do exactly at each point, etc. It's a foreign place to us. And this is what it seems like to some passengers on airplanes that may rarely fly or only fly a few times in their lives. And, also like the dentist office, there may be people that enter the environment fearful of the unknown and scared something bad might happen to them in this foreign environment. So....you got to deal with that and help those people. Those passengers on planes that are being the most difficult and often those who need the most help. Just remember they're generally not trying to be difficult, they just need help because "on the plane" is simply not their world.
Unfortunately, the FAA (in the US) thinks it's totally fine for people to consume alcohol on the plane. It also is a revenue stream for airlines. However, I don't think flying and alcohol are a good mix. That's just my humble opinion. Even if someone is not getting intoxicated, it's still dehydrating them. Keep in mind, though, that if someone appears to be intoxicated when entering the plane, they are not allowed to fly and should be escorted off the plane before it takes off. We can't fly drunk people. This is not just an airline policy, it's a federal law. Likewise, flight attendants must gauge how well people are handling their alcohol and not give anyone too much during the flight. This can be tricky but the general rule is that people can usually handle one drink per hour. It's not unusual for a flight attendant to deny a passenger's request for more alcohol when they appear to be getting tipsy. Of course, this can lead to conflict as for people who are enjoying adult beverages that don't like to be cut off, but that's part of the job. You need to be able to give people "tough love" during those moments, through humor or whatever. If you're someone who can't handle that situation, this job could be difficult at those times.
Through any hardships at this job, however, just remember that your crew members are there for you. Don't be reluctant to rely on them. We're all here for each other as well and are often experiencing the same things. We're a team. There is a very strong sense of togetherness with members on the same crews, that we're all in this together and are there for each other. Yes, like in any job, there are colleagues who are also difficult to deal with or who are simply not on your same wavelength, but in general there is a real camaraderie within a flight crew and that's a great resource.
Well, those are some things to consider before jumping in. As mentioned above though, it's well worth the payoff.
First and foremost, it really depends on the type of personality you have. If you're a go-with-the-flow kind of person, then you can pretty much just roll with it and not have any major issues. If you're the kind of person that needs lots of stability and planning throughout your day, you'll have a difficult time inflight. Although the airline crew schedule is planned, for the most part, there is a lot of flexibility because of factors out of our control (e.g., weather). You basically just need to be where you need to be at the right time with your crew and then see where the day takes you. It's everyone's responsibility to show up on time and be prepared. Most days go roughly as planned but some days go wildly off course with cancelled flights and re-routing. At times it will seem like you're literally living out of a suitcase. There's a definite distinction of "being" when comparing work days to days off. It's like living 2 different lives. You're either completely off work or completely at work.
Sometimes you may feel on your own when you get separated from your crew or get reassigned, bouncing between many different crews. Just remember to be where you need to be at the right time and you'll be fine. This can sometimes be confusing when hopping across many different timezones but just be mindful of that and double-check (or triple, or quadruple-check) your schedule to make sure you got it right. I've been flying for almost 20 years and still often triple-check my schedule and set multiple alarms, etc, to make sure I'm on top of that.
You will definitely have to separate from your "normal" friends and family when you start flying but you'll quickly make new friends with all the crews you'll be working with. Also, you'll likely remain friends with many from your training cohort.
It will also be tough to memorize many new things, especially during training. There's a quick learning curve. You have to learn about different types of aircraft, safety and security procedures, public announcements and slew of other need-to-know procedures and facts. It's a lot in a short time, but it's doable. Training usually lasts about a month and then there's an annual one-day refresher class.
After initial training, you'll earn your wings and will start learning your actual routines (onboard and hotel overnights). Experienced flight attendants will whip through all the tasks quickly and make you seem like you're moving in slow motion compared to them. I'm referring to doing your security and equipment checks, doing "service" on the plane, making your public announcements and even getting ready for your day in the hotel room. At first it's all new and takes time, but as with everything if you do it enough times it becomes 2nd nature and you become really proficient at it.
The passengers are a mixed bag. Most are great. There are a few however that could be... challenging. Most of the time they don't even know that they're being... challenging. But think of it like this. If you're a dentist or dental hygenist and you spend most of your days in a dental office, you'll know the place very well. But most people like us (assuming you're not a dental specialist) come in as patients or customers and we don't have a clue about where to stand, what to do exactly at each point, etc. It's a foreign place to us. And this is what it seems like to some passengers on airplanes that may rarely fly or only fly a few times in their lives. And, also like the dentist office, there may be people that enter the environment fearful of the unknown and scared something bad might happen to them in this foreign environment. So....you got to deal with that and help those people. Those passengers on planes that are being the most difficult and often those who need the most help. Just remember they're generally not trying to be difficult, they just need help because "on the plane" is simply not their world.
Unfortunately, the FAA (in the US) thinks it's totally fine for people to consume alcohol on the plane. It also is a revenue stream for airlines. However, I don't think flying and alcohol are a good mix. That's just my humble opinion. Even if someone is not getting intoxicated, it's still dehydrating them. Keep in mind, though, that if someone appears to be intoxicated when entering the plane, they are not allowed to fly and should be escorted off the plane before it takes off. We can't fly drunk people. This is not just an airline policy, it's a federal law. Likewise, flight attendants must gauge how well people are handling their alcohol and not give anyone too much during the flight. This can be tricky but the general rule is that people can usually handle one drink per hour. It's not unusual for a flight attendant to deny a passenger's request for more alcohol when they appear to be getting tipsy. Of course, this can lead to conflict as for people who are enjoying adult beverages that don't like to be cut off, but that's part of the job. You need to be able to give people "tough love" during those moments, through humor or whatever. If you're someone who can't handle that situation, this job could be difficult at those times.
Through any hardships at this job, however, just remember that your crew members are there for you. Don't be reluctant to rely on them. We're all here for each other as well and are often experiencing the same things. We're a team. There is a very strong sense of togetherness with members on the same crews, that we're all in this together and are there for each other. Yes, like in any job, there are colleagues who are also difficult to deal with or who are simply not on your same wavelength, but in general there is a real camaraderie within a flight crew and that's a great resource.
Well, those are some things to consider before jumping in. As mentioned above though, it's well worth the payoff.