I'm a flight attendant - AMA!

[HighlandsExpat]

I am a flight attendant for a Canadian airline. I am based in Vancouver and have worked at this airline for over eight years. I grew up in the UK but have dual citizenship. Ask me anything!

Do you ever get scared of flying

No. I've certainly had rough landings where I've been a bit scared but it hasn't morphed into a full on fear of flying. When I first started any little bit of turbulence would shock me but I'm much more seasoned now!

Do flight attendants get afraid of turbulence or are you all use to it now. Did you ever have any emergency landings and did it affect how you feel about flying now.

What’s your wage?

Blue or Red?

Why do we have to open the window blinds for take off and landing?

And is it true that the brace position will not save your life in a crash, but will hopefully make your face more identifiable in a mass morgue?

What’s your worst type of passenger?

I don't get afraid of turbulence although for the first year I was still getting my "air legs" and definitely felt less stable when we would get any. You get used to it over time although there really isn't any way to elegant walk up an aisle during turbulence without looking like a drunk giraffe 😂😂😂

I'm never had a "movie" style emergency landing where the plane has landed and we've had to deploy the evacuation slides. I have been on flights that have had to land unexpectedly due to a medical issue or an mechanical issue. Those are somewhat anticlimactic though - you just prepare the cabin for landing as normal. My airline has counsellors available if you go through an emergency.

If there was an emergency situation on a flight , would you still keep calm and smile and tell everyone there is nothing to worry about ?!

It varies depending on how much I work. My base salary, per hour, is around £31. I am guaranteed to earn 75 hours a month, assuming I don't take any holidays. I often earn more because I ask to work more. I also earn a per diem, which is a set fee that covers meals and expenses, while I am travelling for work but it varies based on the location and the trip.

The pay was terrible for the first few years. It isn't incredible now, but you do not get into this career for the pay.

The airline I work for? Red. We don't just focus on the west, if you catch my drift 😉

Does your airline have flights where people have to pay to book seats next to each other? If so, what is the policy when people don't pay and book but then expect others to move so that they can sit together? Or is it at your discretion?

I’m happy to hear. That. I hope you’re having fun flying.

The window blinds being opened is so that your eyes can adjust to the light (or lack of) outside the aircraft. If there's an emergency, it's easier for everyone to see outside.

No idea on brace - they did not tell us anything about corpses during training.

Worst type of passenger? I'll say this - I dread working flights to/from Vegas or any Mexican beach cities. Too many hen/stag parties that want to whoop it up on the flight. It's a cramped metal tube in the sky, not a strip club. I really don't need to see you pounding back shots or screaming at each other 😂

I probably would not smile. Just feels a bit disingenuous. I'd ask you to follow the cabin crew instructions and remain calm. The biggest thing is staying in your seat.

Depends on your fare. The basic ones do not include seat selection - you pay extra for that. When you check in, either online or at the airport, you can then choose your seats for free.

Cabin crew aren't involved in what happens on board regarding seats. Occasionally we are asked but it's up to another passenger around you to swap their seats. If they don't want to, I can't tell them they must move. It's unfortunate but you are assigned a seat and will be asked to sit in it. My advice is to always pay for seat selection - no one wants the middle seat!

I ask as I was on a flight where the cabin filled with smoke and electrical burning on take-off ! It was very scary they said we will circle for half an hour and it didn’t go well would return and land (which we did ) the crew were checking all overhead lockers but assured us it was safe - when we landed one admitted no idea what was causing it or had experienced anything similar before ! Never found out how serious it was but they did remain calm and managed to not looked concerned even though they were.

That does sound scary! I'm glad you felt reassured - we were always trained to remain as neutral as we could, as to not set off hysteria.

Where do you fly to? Did you ever work with a guy called Lance? Met him travelling once. Steward for Air Canada.

Do people get caught vaping in toilets ?

for long haul do do crew and pilots party together (any extra circular with the pilots ?!)

I fly a mix of direct flights to/from Vancouver and then trips, where I fly to one city and then another and then another and then eventually back to Vancouver. So I might work Vancouver to Tokyo, stay 24 hours, and then fly back, or I might work Vancouver to Toronto and then Toronto to Montreal, stay the night, and then work Montreal to San Francisco and then San Francisco to Vancouver.

We "bid" on our flights, and a mix of factors determine who gets to work which flights. The biggest factor is seniority but they take into account languages (they require a Greek speaker on flights to Greece, for example, and a Hindi speaker on flights to London) and where you are based and other things. So it is always changing. Just by my geographic location, I work a lot of flights to/from Asia and across Canada and the United States. Flight attendants based in other parts of Canada have access to more routes.

I'm sure I have worked with many Lances! I'm glad you had a positive experience ♥️

Yes, people do get caught vaping in the toilets. They are met by police upon landing.

I'm happily married so no extracurriculars for me. It's more rare than people might think - you're usually very tired and a bit gross after being stuck on a plane for 8+ hours. Although after a shower and some drinks, who knows 😂😂😂

If you fly as a passenger, is there anything you now notice/look out for, that you didn't before?

What advice would you give to someone scared of flying?

What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve experienced from a passenger on a flight?

Have you ever been on a plane struck by lightning? How dangerous is that?