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.
The flight attendant schedule works out to be about half the month off. In Canada it's a requirement to be scheduled at least 13 days off a month, but usually I'll get a few more than that. So really, we're home more often than not, and we get more days off than the average 9 to 5-er, but we may end up working all weekends one month which makes it feel like we don't see friends as often. Most FAs I work with who are parents agree that they spend more time with their kids now than they did at their previous job, whether it was an office job or other shift work. You just have to be prepared to have your days off in chunks,... Read More +
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Congratulations on getting hired!
So many people have jobs on the side in this business it's hard to remember them all. I considered keeping my waitressing job from before I became an FA, but the lure of having extra days off won me over in the end. The key is finding a job that has flexible hours, since you'll be flying during business hours and some weekends.
A lot of cabin crew bartend or wait tables, and catering companies are also handy places to look for serving gigs since they usually don't require a long-term commitment.
I've noticed that many FAs have obtained their real estate licence... Read More +
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After the plane lands and the guests have all gone home we usually clean the plane (but that's not typical for most international airlines), clear customs if we flew outside of Canada - even if we didn't step off the aircraft all day - and then pile into a shuttle waiting to drive us to our hotel for the night. At the airline I work for the layovers are between 10-48 hours in any one place.
It can feel like a mini vacation sometimes because we do have some pretty sweet destinations; Barbados, Hawaii, New York, Cancun... and you learn to cram a lot into just a few hours. If you get along with your crew it can be a... Read More +
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Well, getting away from the hotel and crew is one thing, but accepting an invite to dinner is something else entirely. It's not uncommon for crews to split up, particularly in places where there's lots to do so it's easy to make plans in advance (for example, Las Vegas - some FAs go for the shopping, others for the gambling, some for buffets and some for clubs. Getting the whole crew to agree on a game plan is nearly impossible there). So yes, definitely flight attendants welcome the chance to get out of the hotel, get some fresh air (after all, they've been on a metal tube all day!) and grab a bite to eat.
I... Read More +
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From what I can tell, flight benefits vary from airline to airline, and it's at the company's descretion to decide what to offer. While it doesn't seem to matter if the airline flies domestically or internationally, whether or not the airline is a charter or not will. Charter airlines, those that sell their seats through a vacation packager or travel agency, typically cannot offer standby travel to their employees because their seats have already been purchased by that third party.
My suggestion is to research each airline in which you have an interest, and go from there! Some will definitely offer extremely... Read More +
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You're right - normally the cabin crew would need the command from the flight deck to initiate an evacuation, but if there is an obvious need - ie the safety of the passengers has been comprimised - the flight attendants can make that decision independently. We must always attempt to communicate with the pilots first, either by using the interphone or by gaining access to the flight deck, but if that doesn't work or the pilots are incapicated... or worse... the flight attendants will just start their shouted commands and get everyone off the plane.
It's a worst-case scenario, but if smoke appears in the cabin and there's... Read More +
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Apart from the wonderful benefits of bypassing security line-ups at the airport and bossing around businesmen to turn off their phone and buckle up their seat belts, FAs at my airline also get limitless cheap standby tickets for themselves and their "plus one". The exact travel privilages vary from airline to airline but at least during the work day you'll get to see some new cities!
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