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!

Don't forget Porter and Air Transat (both blue!).

Do you guys do anything for Brides and grooms? (If it’s obvious, like bride wearing a t shirt/headband)

and would you store the brides dress?

Ahh, thank you!

Thank you for saying that people are welcome in the galley.

I cannot sleep on a plane. Whenever I fly overnight I watch films all night but amble to the back of the plane about once an hour for a stretch, some water and a wee so I always get an aisle seat. The girls are always very nice about my frequent visits.

I’d so love to be able to sleep - am really envious of anyone who can, including my husband who just zonks out and sleeps for hours.

I'll always try to give them a glass of sparkling wine or champagne. I've learned you have to be discreet about these things because if you make it a big moment, you'll get six other people asking if they too can have a glass of champagne or an extra dessert 😂😂

For wedding dresses, on a larger aircraft we can usually store them in a closet or under some empty seats whereas on a smaller aircraft it's on top of suitcases in an overhead bin. Obviously in a garment bag!

You should look into a Turtl pillow - not sure if you can get them in the UK. Buy the "breathable" one as the regular one gets too warm. I recently got one and it's great for napping on airplanes when you are in economy class.

Amazing! It’ll be an A350 long haul so I’ll put my dress in a dress box.

Do you ever get flirted with /any inappropriate behaviour?

how much time off can you have at once?

how does it work with relationships and kids?

I wouldn't say flirting is a big thing however we do deal with a lot of inappropriate behaviour. It could be anything from someone being intoxicated to things like snapping fingers or taking things off the drinks cart. So it runs the gamut. We are working with the public and like any of those jobs you see a huge range of personalities and behaviours.

Time off is fairly straightforward. We get annual leave like most people and the amount increases over time. The most leave I've taken in one go is two weeks (I live in North America so the idea of taking more than two or three weeks is very unusual and for most people, that would be most, if not all, your annual leave done in one go!). You just request it as leave and you won't be scheduled to work during that time.

It definitely impacts a lot of relationships. My partner has a very demanding job in healthcare which I think actually helps. I know some people find it hard dating as a flight attendant because you tend to work odd hours and might not be able to see someone for a few weeks. So it could be hard to actually build a relationship because you are always travelling. I also think the finances have an impact. The pay is terrible when you first start out and a lot of people either have a partner, live with family, or use savings. Not that you need money to date, but I think it can be an issue when you get more serious and people realize some new flight attendants are bringing home very little money.

I don't have children but I know from people I work with it's very hard. Some flight attendants try to "game" the system by only bidding on flights that work with their child's schedule. So they might bid to work on flights where you fly somewhere during the day and back the same day, allowing to be home to take care of your child. Or they try to squeeze in all their hours on weekends when their partner is off work. That's risky though because you are at the whim of the scheduling system. It seems like a lot of people rely on help, whether that's family or paid help, to fill in the gaps between their schedule and their partner's.

Hi OP, thanks for doing this.

I’m thinking about applying to become cabin crew for my local airline when they do another recruitment drive. I thought I might be too old at 40, but recently have heard many airlines are taking on older staff so I might have a chance.

Just a few questions:

how long before take off do you have to be at the airport?
do you get swelling in your ankles or legs from flying so much?
Do you work with different people for each flight?
What tips would you give sonebody applying for the role?

It depends on the airline, but for mine we have to report for duty an hour before departure.

I don't struggle with swelling a lot but I know some people wear compression leggings or socks. On flights we are standing for hours working so it's not quite the same as a passenger who is sitting for hours on end without moving.

Yes, we work with different people all the time. Often when you are assigned a trip, it is the same people. So if I am scheduled to work a flight to New York City, and then New York City to Montreal, then stay overnight, and then Montreal back to my home base, it will likely be the same people for all those flights. Then the next time I work, it will be a totally different set of people. So you have to be comfortable working with and interacting with new people all the time. Of course after a while you start to see the same faces and get to know people.

The biggest thing when applying is to emphasize your customer service, communication and problem solving abilities. If you get invited to an interview, you don't need to be bubbly or overly cheerful but they are looking for someone who can work well and communicate with a wide range of people. So be warm, friendly and professional.

I encourage you to apply! Best of luck in your application!

I wanted to jump on and say I applied for and got accepted for a UK based airline at the ripe old age of 53 (mixed fleet). You are never to old, things have moved on. I say apply for the role and see how far you get ❤️

Thanks so much to both of you - I will definitely keep an eye out for the next recruitment drive and give it a go 😄

You mention here a "jump seat" is this your regular seat for take off, landing etc ? I was once on a flight where there was bad turbulence and the pilot said over the tannoy "cabin crew - jump seats". I have wondered if these were somehow special seats/or more secure belts because of the turbulence.
I also wish the pilot on this flight has said something to reassure people, as many people were distressed. I had been a regular flyer with work prior to this flight and I stopped flying for many years afterwards.

A jump seat is a seat that used by flight attendants and is located near an emergency exit. Most (all?) aircraft also have one in the cockpit. You often see them when you board the aircraft - they fold up and are right next to the doors. We sit in them during takeoff, landing, turbulence and sometimes during our breaks. The seatbelt is basically two seatbelts on either side of the seat, and they click together near your waist. They are designed like that because we need more support. A regular airplane seat uses both the seatbelt and the design of the actual chair (which is bolted into the floor) whereas the jump seat is attached to the wall so the seatbelt needs to be stronger.

At my airline, we sit in them when the captain turns on the seatbelt sign. There isn't anything to worry about, it just means we are going through turbulence.

Is it true what they say about pilots ( a woman/ man in every airport). Seriously though, I have a cousin who was cabin crew and he said pilots were notorious. Then again, it was Air France.

What do you think are the odds of the strike happening?. Do you think the strike notice will be issued on 16th?

That might be an Air France issue, considering how they approach relationships and romance in France! I wouldn't say it's a widespread issue, but you never know what someone gets up to behind their hotel door.

Well, I know as much as the public does at this point. I'm a bit sceptical of us actually going on strike - I imagine the union and the airline will reach an agreement at the very last minute. As in, the days before we would be allowed to walk off the job. That's exactly what happened last summer with the pilot strike. The last time flight attendants issued a strike notice in 2011, the government intervened and I could also see that happening.

How do you wipe down the cloth seats?

I just wipe down the armrests, tray table, entertainment system, the headrest - anything plastic or leather. Not much you can do about the fabric chair, although I wouldn't worry much about germs on there since most people don't actually touch their seat very much.