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 wish it did! Unfortunately no, I'm guessing that even rudimentary knowledge would be way beyond the capacity of many flight attendants. Add to that the fact that we will (hopefully!) never put that knowledge into practice and consequently we'll forget it pretty quick. There are so many controls and dials and buttons up in the flight deck that I bet we would do more damage than good if we sat in the Captain's seat. The responsibilities and areas of expertise of the flight crew and flight attendants are very exclusive. Just watch a pilot step into the galley and fumble around looking for the sugar for their coffee and you'll get a sense of how little our knowledge overlaps!
I have worked with a couple pilots that make a habit of showing their crews how to shut off the engines while on the ground, or to turn on the radio while in flight, for example, so there are some pilots out there who agree with you that we should know at least a couple basics.
I've even flown with FAs who have their piloting license which is a great card to pull out of your hat if both pilots conk out. But... if you're flying with me? Sorry I guess we're all doomed!
Happy Flying!
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Oh lots! But fear not, they will teach you EVERYTHING you need to know. It's a steep learning curve, and if, like me, you're going into your training with no prior knowledge of aviation it can be enough to make your head spin. Some of the things you'll be tested on include:
emergency exits - where they are and how to open them
emergency equipment - where they're located, how to stow them, how to ensure they're in working order, and use them
those are the two big things (and believe me they take up a Huge chunk of training time) but other things you'll need to know is the location and proper operation of service equipment, the number of seats/passengers per plane, who's responsible for which safety checks, and how to write up broken equipment.
I'm lucky, at my airline all the aircrafts are Boeing 737s so there isn't much variation between one aircraft and another. Other airlines have multiple types of aircraft and some FAs will only be qualified to work on certain aircraft, depending on what their training covers. But like I said, your inflight training provided by the airline will go into detail about each of these areas, and give you all the material you need to become an expert on your aircraft cabin! Good luck!
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Relocating is a reality in the airline industry, so it's great that you're preparing for it. Ideally you'll have enough notice to arrange a living situation before the moving date but if you don't, you have a couple options.
- commute! I don't live in the city in which my airline is based, so sometimes I have to fly 4 hours to start my shift. It sucks, but a lot of flight crew do the same thing. When you consider that you could realistically only have 4 shifts in a month (each lasting 4-5 days) you'll only be doing that commute 8 times. Depending on how far away you live, that could work out to being fewer hours than a typical drive-in commute for an office worker. Also, the cost of the flights should be pretty low if your airline offers travel benefits, or even covered entirely by the company depending on where you live.
- get a crash pad. Ask around at work - there are probably fellow employees who live close to the airport who have spare rooms that they offer to commuters for a nightly or monthly rate. Or, some commuters chip in and rent an apartment or house together as an alternative to hotels. If you're willing to have a roommate, you can check crew rooms for ads or on the company's internal website to see who else is in the same boat. For my training in another city, another FA and I rented rooms in a Captain's house - who worked so often that I literally saw him once during my entire stay.
- hotels. Not the greatest option considering how quickly it will add up, but if you do find yourself in a position where you have to spend a couple weeks in a hotel, ask around for crew rates. There will probably be a list of hotels that the airline has agreements with posted on the airline's internal website, but cold calling hotels in the area will also yield some deals (I recommend calling the front desk directly, and not the chain-wide 1-800 number). Most hotels will give crew discounts if you show your work ID at check-in, and I've had as low as $60 a night. Still not very sustainable for the long term, but better than full price!
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A perfect passenger is usually an invisible one! They board with ease, they don't have a million carry-ons, they respect the seatbelt sign, they are polite when I come through with service, and they may even give me a smile as they deplane. I know that doesn't sound very exciting, but it's also not that hard to be a great traveller! I like to tell myself that I was this kind of customer before I became an FA but that could be wishful thinking.
I also enjoy people who chit chat and joke around with me, or ask me questions, because I love to help out and interact with guests one on one, it makes my day a lot more interesting - but don't feel obligated if that's not your style!
And since you asked, please don't stand in the aisles when I'm doing service! I get it, when nature calls there's nothing we can do about it, but it is a pain moving my cart up and down the length of the plane so people can use the bathroom and then get back to their seats. I'm used to it, but it would make my job easier if people could time their bathroom breaks around our service rather than during! A girl can dream, can't she?
Thanks for asking!
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Sorry Jackieblue, as far as I know they don't, not even Bed & Breakfasts are considered because they're just too small. There are so many criteria a hotel must meet to be considered for an airline contract that it would be a rare house indeed that could meet them all!
For example, crews require safe and reliable transport between the airport and the hotel 24/7, rooms above the ground floor, safes, nearby access to restaurants and/or grocery stores, fridges and microwaves in each room are a plus for crew that pack their own lunches on the road, and a block of rooms always ready and available. If you have all that then Wow. I need some real estate tips from you!
I hope you don't mind I answered on here in case other people were wondering too! Thanks!
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Actually there's quite a variety! I wish they were all 5 stars, but more often they're not that fancy, more of 3-4 star range (Holiday Inn, Radisson, etc). There's a team from the airline who visit the interested hotels in each city to verify that the establishment is up to company standards, and elected representatives from the pilot and flight attendant departments go along to give their two cents as well. The cleanliness and safety of the property is more important than the star rating, but I will say that the majority of hotels that crews stay in are nicer than what I pay for when I go on vacation!
Layovers at my airline are anywhere from 10 to 48 hours, so definitely there are days when there's time to hit the gym and a lot of crew members are itching to do just that! You can end up eating and sleeping so irregularly on the road that working out is one of those things that crew members feel in control of, and can make them feel better about the sometimes less than healthy environment we work in.
On occasion I'll pack some gym clothes but I would way prefer to explore the city! That's one of the greatest assets of the job, so when I work with flight attendants who just want to kick back in their hotel room and watch tv I can't really relate. Because of this job I've had opportunities to see parts of Canada I never visited before, not to mention all the other countries I've seen. I've visited museums, explored shopping districts, gone to festivals, and enjoyed food at countless restaurants... it sure beats the pay-per-view in the hotel room!
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I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, that much is true...
I really was. The money as a server was decent but my wagers became way more stable once I got hired as a flight attendant, and instead of handfuls of tips I was getting ~$750 paycheques every two weeks (it's not huge, but I'm a girl of simple tastes), plus flight and health benefits.
My training lasted a month and when the time came for my first pairing I was a nervous wreck. I had to commute in for work on a flight the night before and I felt totally overwhelmed trying to remember everything to pack. Thankfully I ended up having a fantastic crew - who pranked me endlessly by hiding in the overhead bins to scare me and stuffing random things into my luggage, but also surprised me with champagne and cake - and the senior flight attendant who was supervising me was approachable and helfpul, and also knocked a couple bad work habits out of me before they had time to even form.
I confess when she took me upstairs after our last flight to officially check me off and seal my fate as an FA I started crying! All the stress of the previous month - a gruelling amount of training, endless exams, meeting so many new people - just burst out of me in a wave of relief. I'm not sure which of us was more shocked! Immediatey after being officially signed off I hopped on a plane to LA to reward myself and celebrate my birthday which was two days away.
The following months were filled with all the excitement and uncertainty of a new job. I got lost in a couple airports trying to find the crew bypass entrances, I found it really hard to keep up the pace on short flights, I met new people every time I showed up at the gate for work... it was exhausting - and so much fun! It was almost a year before I snagged my first international layover (St. Lucia!) but in the meantime I got to know my own country so much better.
I still get excited about my job four years later; you never know who'll you'll meet or where you'll end up. I have a lot more confidence in my job now, and sure sometimes I roll my eyes at my schedule when I get another layover in the same old place, but I still get a thrill when I steal a moment by the window and watch the world go by!
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