So, the question I get asked all the time, "Why did you become a flight attendant, while having a full plate?" or " What exactly is it like becoming a Flight Attendant?"
Running a business and having a crazy salon schedule, adding something to the mix was far from ideal, but I know it’s short term pains for long term gains.
This job is completely flexible.... eventually!
I’m only required to work 35 hours, to keep my free flight benefits....eventually!
Sacrificing a year of my time will be so worth it... eventually!
Honestly, It all happened so fast, I applied a week later I did my video interview, a week later my face to face interview the next week I started training. No time to do research or mentality prepare myself. I jump into all this unknowing a lot, the only things I did know was free flights and health insurance!
As mentioned before applying to this job I really didn’t have any clue what I was getting myself into… and like most people I’ve met, I had very little knowledge of what a flight attendant’s job really consisted of other than serving beverages. In this blog post I’m going to cover topics including: the job description, application process, training, job duties, schedules, pay, benefits and more.
First things first. What exactly does being a flight attendant entail?
What most people don’t know, is that the main reason airplanes even have flight attendants to begin with isn’t just to help you with your bag or serve you a drink and some of those yummy biscoff cookies. We are there for your safety. In flight attendant training you will learn about every single aircraft you are qualified on. From how many flight attendants are onboard, to where every piece of emergency equipment is located, to where the exit rows are on every plane etc. And you will need to memorize all of this and much much more for the exams you will have to pass while at training to graduate.
You will become CPR certified for infants, children and adults, learn to preform the Heimlich maneuver, learn about communicable diseases and how to spot them, become a professional on how to evacuate an airplane and learn what to do if God forbid someone has to give birth on an airplane… just to name a few things.
In summary, the majority of training is focused on “worst case scenario” drills and evacuations that will hopefully never happen to you and your passengers. That being said they drill these into you to the point where I feel extremely confident if something bad where to ever happen. So don’t worry, we got this!
Having small medical emergencies inflight, however, will happen. And it may happen more often than you think. Like I said before though, I feel fully prepared and equipped to handle almost any situation thrown my way after training.
Schedule
The first thing people ask me when I tell them that I’m a flight attendant is the infamous “So what is your usual route?” Well, many flight attendants at large carriers don’t necessarily have “routes” so to speak.
You are able to pick and chose your schedule for the most part, and as you stay with the company longer and grow your seniority you will eventually have more and more control over what you fly. The flight attendants who have been working the longest get their top pick of the schedules.
As a new hire you will most likely be on “reserve” for the first few months (as a smaller regional airline, only flying nationally) of your career. Being on reserve is like being on call. And I’m going to keep it as real as I can, it Fuking Sucks! You are on call 5-6 Days a week for 12 hour days waiting on a flight. There are 2 different type of reserve shifts Ready meaning you sit at the airport, Regular meaning you are at home in call. You have no control over the type of reserve you will get and it can change at any point! It’s pretty annoying, you have absolutely no life. I must have my phone on me at all times and be able to return a phone call within 15 minutes if I don’t want to risk getting a missed assignment, because that leaded to probation.
Every month I bid for a line, Which is a schedule based on the days I want to work, layovers I want, times the trips leave and return, etc. It really depends what your priority is. On the days that I would bid for specific days off (if I had a special event to attend that I can’t miss) I would usually get them, but I wouldn’t get a very good schedule with the trips I wanted.
Just warning you, like most customer service/ safety related jobs you will most likely be working a lot of weekends at first, and holidays. You really do have a lot of flexibility with your schedule, but it comes with time. Once you are a line holder managing your schedule is a lot easier. If there’s a trip you don’t want you are able to drop or trade it, as long as you work the minimum requirement hours of 35 hours a month, you will keep all of your benefits.
How much do you work on average?
One of the coolest things about this job is that it’s very flexible in terms of how much you want to work, well as a line holder at least.
Reserve:
You are paid for 72 hours unless you work more, if you work more you are paid for the total amount of hours you work, if you work less you are still paid for the 72.
What are the hours like?
You have to realize that flying hours only includes the actual hours you are up in the air “wheels up to wheels down”. It doesn’t include the hour we have to be there prior to the flight, the hours between flights, layovers, or the 30 minutes or so you need to be there after we land for the customers to deplane and for us to debrief etc.
As a Reservest you are off 9 days a month, yeah that may seem normal but when you are away from home 5 days a week it gets a little lonely.
A line holder will anywhere from 10-17 days off a month.
How much do flight attendants make?
The way flight attendants are paid is by flight hours, but theres a lot more that goes into our paycheck on top of that. Per diem is calculated, so every hour your are away from base you are being paid.
Working for a regional airline you are paid lower than main line, however the best thing you can do is find a side hustle that allows you to work from WiFi where ever, when ever. I hear some flight attendant talk about living pay check to pay check so yes we get these amazing flights benefits but it’s surprising how many people are not able to use them because trips expenses once you get there. A second sources of income is so very important! (See my “Side Hustle, why I chose to partner with a luxury product brand” blog to learn how I double my flight attendant income working from my phone, on my lay overs.) The first few months are rough, like am I paying you to work here? Training is very little pay. Your breakfest and lunch is provided. I'm beyond thankful for my side hustle durning that time because it allowed me to still make an income durning my training so I can still afford to pay my bills and not use my savings. The first few pay checks are very low due to the low hours, weird starting inbetween peorid and all the things being taken out of your check, uniforms, enrolling friends and family on your benifts and health insurance. This job is definitly a benifits job, not a get rich and travel. Every job has a start up cost.
What is the application/training process like?
I can’t speak for everyone, however my application process was very fast it only took a few weeks. Our training is 4 and a half weeks long in Phoenix, AZ. It’s very cut throat, there are thousands of applications and only a few hundred get selected.
The application process usually consists of a long online form to fill out, followed by a video interview, a phone interview and then an in person group interview.
Training.::
We had class 6 days a week for the 4.5 weeks, filled with written and physical exams. followed by a 5 day trainee flights where we actually flew shadowing the flight attendants at work, in order to get a better feel for the job the 5th day we took our final exam to see if we are ready to be on our own. Most of the rest of our time off we spent studying for exams and drill evaluations, because if you didn’t receive a 90% or above on exams you failed. We were only allowed to retake 1 exams before you were sent home, no exceptions.
The material wasn’t hard as long as you studied, it was just a lot of memorization for exams and repetition for the drills. Still, knowing I could be at training for 4.5 weeks and then be sent home without a job was a frustrating thought to me so I over-studied everything just in case.As mentioned previously, most of the material we cover in our classes and drills have to do with safety and precautions for emergencies.
Looking back, training may have felt like it would never end while I was there, but you’re so busy it really did go by fast.
Finally what everyone wants to know....The Benefits.
Let’s be honest, the main reason anyone applies for this job is because they’re interested in the job benefits. Apart from having great health insurance, the flight benefits are what motivated many to begin this career. Yes you fly any where for free.
How it works is fairly simple. As a flight attendant you will be able to fly free on your airline carrier along with many other airlines we have a contract with. You also fly free internationally, however when exiting a foreign country you pay taxes. Sometimes it’s as little as $20.
On top of the flight benefits for yourself, you also get
⁃ A companion
⁃ 2 parents/guardians
⁃ A Spouse / Domestic partner
You can list anyone as your companion (I have my boyfriend listed if he is not my spouse or domestic partener, i would have an addition space for a friend. ) These people are able to fly with the same benifits.
in the end, I lenjoy flying, I love meeting so many amazing people and working with awesome crews. I love getting paid to see the world sometimes it doesn't seem real. If I had to do it all over again I would have became a flight attendent sooner in life but I would have done more research on the company before applying. Reserve is hard, expecially for someone who has worked for herself since my whole adult career.... but short term pains for long term gains. EVENTUALLY... it'll all be worth it.
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