As a former FA I was able to see how the airlines is able to get away with their pay structure and even their flight benefits. Their tactic makes sense. Over work you so you can’t take advantage of the flight benefits. You’re on duty for 14hrs but flew 5 hours for the day and only get paid for the 5. Oh and sitting at the airport on standby the entire day not being fairly compensated is wrong. This is the only industry that I know of where you are not paid for an entire day clocked in.
I’ve been an FA for a year now and so many that I came in with left. Dealing with what we deal with plus being on reserve on top of it, I can see why. It’s a fun job but it is tiring. It’s all about trying your best to find the work/life and work/rest balance. And omg flying into our off days IS THE WORST!!
Hey Easton, I'm a former FA but have actually been thinking about going BACK to flying. The flexibility the job gives you can't be beat. And I've found that I miss the job. Hopefully now that the pandemic is over, some of the issues you raised have quieted down. BTW, you have a great voice, you would do well doing voiceovers and TV commercials as a side gig! I also love Spiderman, LOL.
I was on the same boat . I came back to flying and feeling extremely tired …summer flying has been stressful. I honestly should have waited until the new contract came to an agreement in my airline. I know a couple of us major carriers are in negotiations right now. Just do research on the airline you want to go back too.
I've been a fa for 37 years. You bring up some very good points. When I started, things werent perfect,, but there seemed to be better protections in place. Also, technology is a two way sword. The bad in that is allowing software to maximize fa's to exhaustion. Airline managements have learned to do the bare minimum when it comes to staffing and rest. Of course I see it from a different prism with my seniority, but it is criminal that 80% of trips totally suck, leaving the small percentage of good/great trips to the most senior. That is why it's important to be involved with unions. (disclaimer: I don;t wanna hear about Delta as they have gotten what they have simply on their company's fer of unionizing alone so you can't compare.) It's time to get tough and say NO MORE!! Also, fas have been policing behavior for the airlines since 9/11 and I for one am sick of it. The only thing the airlines care about is making sure an airplane is never used as a weapon. The mask police time just about put me over the edge. You hit it spot on with behavior. I use to wonder why the new generation fas didn't chat much to passengers. Well, maybe because they have been brought up with phone cameras and social media, they are the smart ones by not giving fas a reason to be recorded. And then theres the generation divide. Older fa''s are pissed off because the days when service more in line with Emmirated is OVER. They were the face of the company and became fa's because it was a lifestyle and not just a job. We knew our place seniority wise, but always made the best of our trips, whether a shiity trip or glameorous one. We had less people unhappy because we gave them food abd drinks on almost every flight. Sorry kids, but we worked harder and the physical stress was much greater than today where there is little service. Plus, we actually enjoyed the passengers. Many found husbands. Many found husbands for the night. We worked hard and played hard. Someone once asked why fas were grumpy. A friend answered alcohol and drug testing. lol And then there is the younger generation. Not many value this as a lifestyle, but simply a job. Too many don't have an understanding of the roll seniority plays in this indusrty and soon resent those who are senior, feeling like there is no end to crappy schedules. (we've all been there) And I understand. Airlines are so out of touch with the fact thay are making money on the backs of 80% of the workforce who see nothing glamerous, muchless appealing about this job with the horrendous schedules. AND, then there are the pilots. American bent over to give the pilots all they want. They gave them retro pay that averaged over 100K per pilot. What does their management do after we countered a proposal? Basically ignored and arrogantly suggested any retro pay would be included in the overall package price of a new contract. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! AA lost money because of said one time charge to pay out the pilot's retro pay but want to whine about our propsals. There has alway been a double standard for pilots, who many time coward in the cockpit and leave the bullshit to the fas. Just because there is a shortage, they are more valued. Well, tell the fas how valued we are when families don;t make it home for Christmas. Ohhh, and before end. great vid. SPOT ON!!!
I retired from AA last year w/ 30 yrs. Still stuck on reserve or commuting from West Coast to East Coast chasing the “glamorous” flying. I took an entry level Passenger Service position that paid $21/hr! I was top of the pay scale making $67/hr flying 4 day trips & commuting. Covid hit & I said enough for me. In the year since I left AA, I have been been promoted to an inflight management position paying more than what I made flying 90 hrs a month. I received quarterly performance bonuses of $500+ & our profit sharing is projected to pay out in the thousands. And no, I do not work for DL. It’s not just the job thst got worse it’s the corporate culture at the 3 legacies. Being a FA is hard work but it isn’t always the job. Often times it’s leadership. Remember what we did in ‘93 and that was with execs who knew how to run an airline. The industry is changing & not for the better. I’m lucky that I made the jump when I did. I can officially retire in 10 more years with more retirement than I could have saved in 30 years at AA. I took a giant leap of faith to end my career in aviation with an airline that truly does value it’s employees & it shows. It was once said, “30 years ago FAs were given white gloves to wear as part of our uniform. Now we get handcuffs!”
Awesome video. I am looking at retirement from a 40 yr career 8n public service and wanted to give the FA job a shot but it sounds like I am, going to be asking for misery. No way should I be doing all those hours that are unpaid. At 59 my time is too valuable. Maybe in my 20s but not now.
@@EastonExplores I took a corporate position with a major airline! It’s a completely different world. Adequate pay, normal schedule, still have flight benefits!
@@zoebells767I did the same. Well, thought about being a FA but took a job within the airline instead. Same Flight benefits and a normal schedule. Way better. So much time at the job and not getting paid as a Flight Attendant. I’m not ok with that.
a week ago i had the thought to watch flight attendant vlogs. and i randomly came on your videos a few times and thought they were really descriptive and educated. also like very HQ! im so surprised your page doesn’t have like 1M already! we’ll finally subscribed tonight, can’t wait to see your progress!
10 hours off is pretty awful... I'm a flight attendant here in the UK. We have a minimum rest period between flying duties of 12 hours. If the preceding duty was more than 12 hours... Then you need that same duty length as 'off duty' before your next flying duty. So if you worked 13.5 hours, you need 13.5 hours off.
I didn’t know that. This sounds amazing. Can you voluntarily reduce your rest? For example: you fly a 14 hour duty day. you are on rest and at the 10th hour, you see a trip you really want but it would cut your rest below the 14 hour “off duty” time. can you still pick up that trip and cut your own rest short?
I was a 42 year f/a for a major airline. Retired very regrettably because of covid--the airline threw us a bone to quit--ie. A medical card for people to supplement their income-based on y age--actually I had not wanted to quit at all cause last 5 years of flying with good seniority is what made the job!!! But airline would never have offered anything like that had covid not happened! They simply dont care abt y as an individual-you are a seniority no.-thats it!! So reality bites--here it is--i know the newer f/as think life is hard on reserve-yes it is and always will be. The pay is not good -and they will not change that. Even if y strike-the ai rline will immediately find ways to shave back whatever raise you get--called concessions. You basically give your life to this 'job' because 'It' will come 1st if you need you need to work fulltime! YOU WILL BE TIRED-BOTH ON AND OFF THE JOB!YES THERE WILL ALWAYS BE NASTY PASSENGERS-YOU W ILL BE LEFT TO DEAL WITH THEM--WITH NO HELP FROM MANAGEMENT--AND DONT DARE USE Y SICK TIME UNLESS Y ARE AT DEATHS DOOR--YOU WILL GET THREATENING LETTERS AND MEETINGS WITH SUPERVISORS AND 'POINTS' TO KEEP Y IN LINE! YOU WILL TRAVEL OF COURSE BUT THE GOOD LAYOVERS ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN-REMEMBER-THEY CAN FLY YOU UP TO 16HRS--WITH 10 HRS IN A HOTEL--YOU CANT DO ANYTHING BUT SLEEP-YOU MUST BE READY TO GO AGAIN! YOU MAY COMMUTE--OVER HALF MY BASE TAKES A PLANE TO GET TO THE RIGHT BASE SO THEY THEN PICK UP THEIR WORK FLIGHT-ITS HARROWING. MYSELF-HAD A 3-4 HR DRIVE EACH TRIP--BEFORE SIGN IN!! SO THE 16 HRS ON DUTY(UP TO) DOES NOT INCL-YOUR TRANSPORTATION TIME, GAS, CAR MAINTENANCE, TOLLS-fOR ME THIS WAS OVER $300 a month. Your family gets used to you not being there--you leave detailed notes for everyone all the time-- When y are home you have to fit in'real life'--into maybe one or 2 days before y are off again. Dont dare be 'sick'--on their end its an opportunity for them to harass you with co. policy. In addition you must look y best--nails, hair, uniform, proper paperwork always and you Must be on time--there is never room for you to be late-ever! So much more but y get the picture-you are in 'the army'--get over it! Well as this man said in the video-all these things true-but management will not bow to any changes-its not about You-its abt their stockholders and board! And they KNOW that they will always get these starry eyed youngsters willing to work for little pay so they can 'see the world'-- what y mostly see is the inside of a days inn hotel room where y window faces a highway in the hinterlands of some God forsaken little city-❤. SOOOO why did I stay?? Was it worth it?? You must decide-i actually hated it for abt 3-5 years -then settled into the groove of it-- these many years later-im grateful and proud of having survived such an experience-its made me a better person overall-because y learn patience, how to handle impossible situations, crazy unreasonable people, medical emergencies, how to keep a smile on y face and do a job-endurance, and y learn that your allies in flying are the people y fly with-they are really the only ones who will 'get you' Most f/as know that you make your own good experience, you are a survivor-and y must remember that you will be challenged--its not for bv everyone-its for people who are willing to put up w as lot of s____ to experience seeing places you would never see if y were stuck in an office Have i said it all?? - In the end I loved to travel-still do--left with good bad and the ugly memories--and haha still have my passes! Good luck to y brave souls who will still do this job!!you are special❤its just Life!!
The hardest part of the job for me was being on reserve. I didn’t have a schedule the first year and that was very stressful. But now that I have a schedule, doing back to back overseas and dealing with Jetlag is another struggle. This job is a lifestyle and it is not made for everyone but I love what I do. Thanks for sharing:)
@@EastonExplores do what ? Get the job ? Or week off? For corporate u need ti save 5000 dollars for training n join a company . U can youtube how to be one.
I am confused on the staffing? As a former F/A of 20 years the aircraft is never short staffed, obviously the FAA requires so many F/A per seats on A/C?? The actual job in the industry has not changed other than the way box lunches are now served and most needs from PAX are automated. Angry PAX because of COVID???? I started flying in 1982 angry PAX back then too, disruptive PAX since the dawn of plane for passenger use. Do not kid yourself PAX were taken off by police, Bomb threats and Highjacks were way more common. There has always been a dynamic of burn out. Many first out online in my day were RR (Ready reserve) for a year before holding a base line. Normal first year, on call at home waiting for crew scheduling, oh yea we didn't have cell phones if you so much as wanted to go down to the corner store (I was based in NY) you had to call them tell them how long you would be away like a break, RR siting at the airport from 5am-5pm on call pretty normal. Being a F/A takes a very special individual, it takes a person who is not bothered by time and or distance, someone okay with not seeing loved one's and or familiar surroundings sometimes for days, working with a new crew daily or weekly. Pay is low always has been until you become a scaler at higher pay and can do international or big trips with much more incentives. (In my day) it was much stricter, people still being watched with their weight, and grooming were very tough and breaking the rules on PROBO meant term. F/A these days the newer one's seem to think the job has gotten harder or way more demanding since the good ol days of flying??? It's more technical now that's all. Delays, angry loud PAX, shortage in your food cart, for the FLT, mechanical planes, long waits, cancelled FLTs, it was all there, it's not a new thing there were crazies back in the 70's, 80's, and 90's I am sure it was a little calmer in the 50's. I would not have traded it for the world however, I traveled everywhere, more places than most people do in their entire life, met amazing PAX, that's something they forget to talk about now those PAX are still amazing for the most part, you get what you give. But yea it's the same job.
As far as staffing goes, it is not the physical staffing of each individual plane. It's the amount of flights that fit into the FAA max duty day of 15 hours. When staffing is healthy among the airline, you'll typically fly the schedule you bid for/received. When staffing is poor, you'll likely receive additional flying. To be clear, this has nothing to do with the FAA minimum crew required.
@@EastonExplores I am very aware of the flight hours. You are also leaving out the fact that F/A cannot work as many hours as a regular ground job. F/A duty out at so many set flying hours the FAA controls that through the industry. In my day once you hit I believe it was 100 FLT hours you could no longer fly for the month. The average worker works at their job 160-175 hours a month. Your spin on 14 hour duty days is also mis leading unless you are on ready reserve or flying to the east coast during everyday in the extreme winter most F/A do not do 14 hour duty days that often. F/A today are different than during my time we understood the job, we had much stricter rules than they do now. The public during my time still was full of angry PAX, and crazy Karen's the title just was not around because there was no social media.
They think it’s Glamorous but really it’s lonely and tiring. If you can’t deal with being on your own and able to be spontaneous then being a FA is not for you.
7yr FA here. Fun job but the starting pay is garbage and for a while. Its the unfriendly skies now. Definitely not what it used to be. The big wigs are raking in all the benefits. I give myself another year before I throw in the towel. Getting older and tired of the long duty days and short rest...I commend everyone who aspires to come into the profession.
You are not belittling the job. This is a real take on the job. The struggles aren’t clarified at all on social media. Everybody that is considering this job should watch your video. 100%
Don’t forget the terrible pay. A first year FA makes on average 27,000 a year before taxes. Leading you to pick up on all your days off to make more money which intensifies everything you mentioned in the video. You spend your layovers in your room because you can’t afford to go out. You spend your days off sleeping because you’re jet lagged from working or prepping to leave again
Bottom line is you are not paid for the hours you work. I love being a flight attendant but it is difficult to pay bills when you get paid for 1/3 of your time invested.
I am awaiting training. I know that the career is going to be a lifestyle adjustment. I want to succeed. Thanks for your videos. It helped me secure my offer!
22 year FA here with a major airline and am currently waiting on a training date at a different major airline. My current airline and it’s crooked ass corporate culture has absolutely sucked the life out of me and I won’t give them another year of my life. The burnout for me has nothing to do with the FA profession. I absolutely love being an FA. It’s the airline itself for me. Giving up 22 years to become a new hire. Color me crazy!
Giving up 22 years to go start at the bottom makes no sense. So yes, I am going to color you cray, cray. I think you should revisit your decision. Maybe too late now. Your post was 3 months ago. Oh well you now have 3 months seniority instead of 22 years. Honestly, I hope you are happy.
The medical field demands a 24/7 commitment, as it is more than just a job; it becomes a way of life. Dealing with people's lives requires utmost dedication and professionalism.
It’s been like this for decades and now people are speaking up about the aviation issues. Flight Attendants and Pilots are exhausted. Mental Health is very important. I’m an International FA and have short layovers but work 18-20 hr duty days. Some times 24 to 26. My best tip is to take the off days and relax. Great video and thank you for sharing 😊❤
@Chelsea: when you say you have short lay overs .... how do you take the time to enjoy the fabulous international locales that you fly too? How do you manage to decompress after a hectic flight and then go out gallivanting the streets of town and see all the sights if you have a short lay over?
I interviewed with Delta last month, and I felt really good about the interview over all, but got a regret email. My dad was told by a Delta flight attendant to keep on applying, and that he had to apply three times before he finally got on with Delta. He even said that it took one lady SIX tries before she got a CJO. I don't know what it was that I did (or didn't do) or said (or didn't say), but it would be nice if employers would give a little feedback to applicants even if they're not required to do so by law.
Same thing happened to me after my video interview with Delta. I was told similarly that you may have to try several times with Delta before being hired.
100% accurate. I know flight attendants that applied multiple times, took an FA job with another airline, and then quit that airline when they finally got their acceptance from Delta. They are definitely the most sought after airline so they go through 100’s of thousands of candidates each hiring cycle. As far as what you could’ve done differently, I do wish there was some type of feedback given. But since there isn’t (that I know of), my best advice is to not do the same thing again. Apply, go to the interview, but don’t interview using the exact same strategy as you did the first time. I see too many people do that thinking that ‘this time it’ll be different.’ Happy to create content that’ll help if you have any questions!
Health care and the schedule of a Flight Attendant are so much a like. 12 hour shifts, you don’t get out of work on time. And, by the time you get home, do what little you can do, chat with your spouse, or partner. You go to bed after 11:00 pm. And, you’re up for work by 5 AM for a 7 AM shift. It wears you out mentally and physically.
Someone need to report Delta for unfair hiring practices… They invited me back for a second F2F interview. I’m thinking no.. The 1st interview cost me $400.00 for a rejection??? I paid for a hotel, food, outfit, shoes, more food at the airport, to receive a No..Hell no.. I believe FA’s are quitting, because the whole career, need to be reevaluated. ALL other careers, pay from the time you enter your work premises, until you leave, including railroads. Why the airline industry chooses not to do this? The airlines industry is against federal law.. Not paying FA’s, for delays, re-routes, bad weather, time sitting in the airport is crazy!!! It’s the ONLY job in the U.S., that do not pay for sits, breaks, delays, re-routes, and longer overnights. These are the reasons I’m not applying again. I don’t want to get stuck in this career. My friend is a 1st year FA, and told me, he wants to quit, but the peer pressure from other FA’s is the reason why he won’t quit. That’s insanity to me..
The job of a Flight attendant isn't for everyone's lifestyle. It doesn't pay well and the hours are horrendous. If it's not for someone then why waste your time?? Leave no one forces you to stay.
That’s a bit extreme. Regional pay is rough, but mainline is pretty good. There’s a reason that the most senior flight attendant was 86 years old. Also, it’s easier to say “just leave” to someone but that someone may not have somewhere to go. But what I do agree with is that it’s not for everyone.
It would be interesting to see the stats of unruly passenger by airline, and to study if there is a correlation between poor behaviour of passengers with the poor attitude and comportment of cabin crew. It would be interesting to see how cabin crew unions react to the results of such a study.
Worked for a big airline for 5 years and i did resign in jun , couldn’t be happier, its way too much exhaustion&tiresness sleepless nights…. Tank god its over
I am a fa and i work for a charter which is even worse. We can work up to 24 hours and I am gone usually 3-4 weeks at a time.. the longest I’ve been out was 7 weeks before.. so yeah could always be worse.. but on the other hand we don’t deal with unruly customers bc of our clients.
7 weeks would typically only relate to flight attendant training. Otherwise, you can be gone for 5-6 days at a time. The FAA has a mandate that flight crew cannot work 7 consecutive days in a row. You MUST have a 7th day of rest.
Totally get that. I work lean-overs primarily just because I have a dog. But if I work more than 2day trips I'll bid long layovers too. It's just a different type of exhaustion.
@@EastonExplores yes the first day is long and last day have to get up early but it's nice finding the ones with one leg 3rd day. But I think of long layovers one less KCM random day and extra $2 to save on hotel tip money 💰
This is an issue the world over. I live in Australia and whilst I accept that our conditions may be better than others, none the less fatigue and exhaustion is something that we all encounter. Add very unhappy and angry customers into the mix when they are delayed or have experienced cancellations and it doesn’t make for a happy work environment. The life of a F/A sure isn’t what it used to be😢
I'd imagine it depends on the circumstance and the airline.. but I would be willing to bet yes. You'll probably have to go through the whole process again.
Major carrier here. Airlines used to fly reserves 84~88 hours a month. Nor reserves are flying only 74-76 hours. Far less. Lineholders were built to 88_90 hours pre Covid but post Covid only flying 80-84 hours. FA are not actually working more but less. These are the facts.
I've been rejected from a whole bunch of flight attendant jobs, Literally everyone and it kind of sucks because I get to the video interview to find out after in the email they said no. I never knew trying to be a flight attendant is hard.
it's extremely competitive. I know people that have applied for over 5 years and still been rejected each time! don't give up though! The time will come, although I know it can be discouraging.
@@EastonExplores : It is not too competitive if you are a "minority" .... airlines are hiring lots of black and brown people cause back in the 60s, 70s and 80s it was mostly an all-white barbie doll profession NOW they are hiring anyone BUT a Barbie as a flight attendant!!
When I fly within the US, the one thing I keep noticing is the unprofessionalism of flight attendants -- singing on the loudspeaker, making a joke out of safety instructions, etc. How can you expect the passengers to have respect when the crew don't seem to have respect for the seriousness of their jobs? I'm not saying this to be mean, but it is my honest observation.
You have a totally fair point. I don’t know for sure, but if I had to guess.. I’d say that it’s because the safety instructions, PA’s, etc are monotonous to FA’s. We feel like everyone has heard us say the same thing because we had 3 flights that day and 4 flights yesterday. It’s easy forget that there are plenty of passengers that haven’t heard these instructions/PA’s and need to hear them in all seriousness.
@@EastonExplores I would say that whether the passengers have heard the safety instructions a million times or not isn’t the point. Your job description doesn’t require you to entertain them. It’s about presenting yourself as a professional, thus asking others to treat you as the person in authority. You set the tone. Forgive me for saying this, but if the FA is acting like a clown, it’s impossible to take that person seriously - thus sending the message that no one is in charge.
You sound like a horrible passanger. Please don’t fly. You choose to fly on airlines that are more lax and vacation and what you feel isn’t the right tone might be the right tone for someone else. Some companies are more serious and entertain those type of passangers, and some want more leisure passangers to listen to them. They are both valid. Getting people to listen to the safety demo is also important and a lot of people tune out when it’s too boring or monotone.
So weird.. I’ve posted a response twice now and it won’t publish? Trying a third time! I don’t post my airline publicly due to my employer’s very strict social media policy. But message me privately and I’ll be happy to tell you!
