Jordan
Toronto, ON
Female, 28
Space Waitress, Trolley Dolly, Stewardess...everyone has their own term for us. We are the baby-sitters, life-savers, servers, cleaners and all-around problem solvers for any and every in-flight issue. Sometimes we get a bad rep for being apathetic and miserable despite having what looks like a glamorous job, so here's a peek into the gritty details beneath the shiny surface to explain why the job - though incredible in lots of ways - is more than just snappy uniforms and matching luggage.
I have to be honest with myself... Yes, it does annoy me, because 9 times out of 10 the passenger is just impatient and treats it like a speed dial to his personal bartender, or they mistakenly hit it while trying to turn on their reading light. If you are ill or you spill something or see smoke or are being harrassed, yes, hit your call button! But if you just want to know which city we're flying over, try to wait til one of us walks by and give us a wave (notice I said wave, no grabbing or snapping fingers unless you really want to piss us off). I know we're prickly about it, and I admit they do serve a purpose, but I think people would be a lot more selective about why they used it if they had a call button at their workplace too. Oh and by the way, that city we flew over? No idea. Flight attendants don't look out the window much!
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I'm afraid my boring answer to this is no, I have not. The airline I'm with currently flies more vacationers than business travellers, who only take one trip a year on average (if that). Also our loyalty program is fairly new and recently underwent a marketing makeover so a lot of our customers are only just learning about it now - but maybe in a year or two I'll have a good story about a frequent flyer!
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Wow, you're my favourite type of traveler! You hit the nail on the head, FAs love all those things (even the ones who claim to be on a diet can't resist a free bag of M&Ms!). When I travel on other airlines I bring treats too, something that can be easily shared so that it can be divvied up amongst the cabin and flight deck. If you really want to butter up your crew you can give magazines too - the trashier the better! Cosmo, Hello, weekly gossip mags, etc. They're the perfect thing to flip through between services and even the male flight attendants like them - though they might try to deny it. Maybe you're just doing it out of the goodness of your heart, but when someone brings my crew treats I like to hook them up with free stuff during the flight - if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours!
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When I retire I won't collect a pension or retain my medical and dental benefits but you'd better believe I'll be clinging onto those cheap flights until I die or the airline goes under - whichever comes first! So though I may be penniless and sickly, I'll still be collecting stamps in my passport. I'll be like a wandering hobo who jumps on airplanes instead of empty train cars. I imagine policies differ from airline to airline, but at the one I work for an employee is eligible for retirement once the sum of age and their years of service equal 60... so I still got some time to put in. If you quit you give up all your benefits and standby travel privelages - which leads to totally disgruntled employees sticking around way past their best before date. I can't blame 'em, once you get a taste of cheap flights the thought of paying full price is pretty unappealing!
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This would be a great time for me to mention that I work for Virgin! Except that I don't. In fact I've never even had the pleasure of stepping onto their aircraft, so you may be more of an expert in this area than myself, but just yesterday I worked with a former Virgin FA so I picked her brain. While she couldn't say that they openly discriminate against less attractive women, she did mention that they include height and weight measurements in their initial medical screening, the range of their uniform sizes is quite restricted, and their grooming standards are as high as their heels. (hair elastics must be concealed with hair or ribbon, shoes are selected by the airlline, etc) They may not require a photo attached to the resume like some airlines, but it would be naive to think looks don't play a part in getting the job. Virgin Airline's marketing really plays up its sexiness, so selecting employees who will represent that product only makes sense. You can call it discrimination but how many bars, restaurants and retail stores do the same? As for how us other airline crew feel about it, we were all drooling over Virgin's latest uniform makeover - we're definitely aware of how they've carefuly manicured their image. And while I'd rather work for a company that places its emphasis on personality, I concede that the rest of us could learn a thing or two from Virgin's strict standards because it really helps to create a cohesive product and portrays professionalism. Besides, who wants to be the ugly stepsister to Virgin's Cinderella?
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I'd like to know the same thing!
The exams used during initial training and recurrent training vary from airline to airline and year to year, not to mention that some aviation rules differ depending on the country in which you work. Generally, flight attendants are tested on their knowledge of emergency equipment and procedures. You'll be required to know the proper stowage compartment and operation of each tool on board, such as fire extinguishers and life rafts. Each aircraft is configured differently so the amount and location of these items will change.
The airline industry is built on procedures. Flight crew need to be prepared as much as possible for all the unpredictable scenarios that can arise midflight, so we are indoctrinated with procedures to fall back on in emergency situations when there may not be time to improvise or even think clearly. For example, there are steps to take when there is a decompression, or a sick passenger, and I need to remember the order of those tasks both when I go to write an exam and face those events in real life. These are all things that are taught during your initial training though, as well as outlined in the manual each flight attendant is given and has to lug around on every pairing, taking up precious space in their luggage. I'm not bitter.
The one thing I can suggest to study before you even begin training is taking a First Aid course. Again, the airline will teach you everything they require once you've been hired, but it intimidates a lot of prospective flight attendants (translation = they get poor grades on that section of the exam) so it couldn't hurt to go over it ahead of time!
Hope that helps!
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Haha, no I haven't. I'm sure it happens though, just not as brazenly. I have heard of "crop-dusting" - passing gas as you casually walk through the cabin, rather than doing it in your own galley. Sadly gas is a fact of life in the air and all that going up and down can take its toll on your insides. Much like a plastic bottle that dents and folds in itself on descent, or a chip bag that expands to the point of bursting, so your intestines inflate and deflate with the motions of the plane. It's glamourous. But hey, it's not a bad weapon if someone is being a jerk!
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