10 FAQ’s About Being a Flight Attendant

Ever wonder how being a flight attendant works? I know I always did.

Whenever I tell someone my job title, I often get asked a flurry of questions about it. People seem to be pretty fascinated by how different and complex the job can be, so I decided to create a post that gives a little more detailed insight. Read on for the top ten questions I get asked about being a flight attendant, accompanied by my personal answers.

Note* Keep in mind that these may totally vary based on what airline someone works for! The more detailed way that things work in my answers is from how my specific airline operates. Generally speaking, a lot of the answers will have many similarities but some big differences as well!

Question #1: What route do you usually fly

I’m not exactly sure where the idea that flight attendants have set “routes” came from, but surprisingly it is usually the first question I get asked. Our airline offers 4,600 flights per day to 357 destinations around the world. It would actually be operationally impossible to create a set route for all 24,000 flight attendants in our system. Our schedule is determined monthly based on a bidding process that awards a flight schedule according to our hire date seniority.

Each scheduled “line” contains a variation of trip “pairings” that vary in style, length, layovers, and working positions. It is very rare to get awarded an exact same schedule even twice (with the exception of language speakers that tend to fly to and from the same countries often). Layover cities change based on the location you are based in. For example: if you are based in Texas, you may be flying more international trips to Central and South America, whereas if you are based in New York, you will likely be flying more trips to the West Coast and to Europe.

If you do not hold enough seniority in your base to have a schedule, you are placed on “reserve” for the month. A reserve line is an on-call-format-style schedule, where you typically work around 18 set days of the month with 12 days off. A reserve line also varies month to month and days off are awarded by seniority and bidding selections. If you are placed on reserve, you are fair game to cover any trips in your base that are not staffed during your days on!

Question #2: What is the craziest thing you have ever seen on a flight

Where do I even start…from jackets being angrily thrown out of the first class closet in desperation for bag space to a passenger lying down in the middle of the aisle refusing to move mid-flight, my days are never boring. I quite literally have “stories for days.” I wish I could say I have seen it all, but in my short three years on the job so far, I know I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.

I have heard many stories from co-workers that have either sent me into an uncontrollable fit of laughter or just left me completely horrified. As crewmembers, we are oftentimes the only response unit available in flight. We assist with any and all inflight medical emergencies, intoxicated or upset passengers, mechanical mishaps or delays, etc., We have even had a flight crew assist in the successful birth of a baby on board!

Luckily, we receive a lot of training to help us deal with just about any situation on board. We also have constant access to our inflight manuals to help us with any medical or safety emergency inflight or on the ground. Flight attendants are there for a lot more than you might think!

Question #3: Are you scared of turbulence

I’m going to tell you a little secret.

When I first started working as a flight attendant, I was still really uncomfortable and nervous with turbulence, as well as taking-off and landing. Having the additional responsibility of the passengers and staff on board should anything go wrong totally terrified me!

So how did I get over it? I just kept facing my fears, over and over and over again. I learned how airplanes worked, got to know how and why certain things felt a certain way, and put my trust in our training and our pilots that are heavily trained with years of experience under their belts. After a few months on the job, I gained the confidence I needed to last me through my career.

After three years of flying with many crewmembers who have been flying for their entire lifetime, I can tell you without a doubt that air travel is the absolute safest mode of transportation. Just as a large ship can safely navigate over rough seas, an airplane is built to handle bumpy air. They can fly through lightning storms, hail, and just about anything that comes their way. If it is UNSAFE for a flight to go out, it WILL NOT go out. Always remember that!

The biggest fear you should have in turbulence is not being properly seated with a seat belt on. We do have inflight injuries that occur from more severe turbulence knocking crew members or passengers into other objects or the ceiling. This is why you will often times see flight crew seated during any moderate to severe turbulence in the air! The seat belt sign is quite literally there for your safety.

If a fear of flying is a serious road block for you, I highly recommend seeking help from a therapist, taking a friend or family member along with you, and/or even just getting to know your crew a little bit! I get nervous and first time fliers all of the time. I absolutely love to see them overcome their fears and take that flight anyways. I do everything I can to comfort them and ease their minds because I too was there one time.

Question #4: Do you get to fly everywhere for free

In a word…yes.

Every airline is different in the benefits they offer. I receive flight benefits BASED ON STANDBY AVAILABILITY for myself and:

• one “enrolled friend” or spouse,
• two parents (or step-parents) at any given time,
• and any children under the age of 26.

We also get 24 buddy passes and 24 extended family passes per year (these are discount STANDBY passes good for one PNR one way). We can elect to trade in our buddy passes for a second enrolled friend each year.

Standby flying can require a lot patience and flexibility. We are granted a seat in seniority date of hire order once all ticketed passengers and ticketed standby passengers are boarded. This means that if a flight is full, we may not get on it. It also means pass-riding during busy times like a holiday or spring break season, isn’t always the best plan. I do pay departure taxes on International flights, which vary based on location (anywhere from $25-$200 with Europe usually being the most expensive).

We also get 6 “vacation” passes each year which are good for you plus any of your immediate benefit riders (this excludes buddy pass or extended family riders). I save these for big trips because they bump you to the top of the seniority list on standby and wave the tax fees on first class upgrades. As an example, I recently flew home from Paris on an $8,600 first class seat for $150 total (the departure tax of the ticket from Paris back to the United States). Not a bad deal, right?!In addition, I can fly almost any airline (foreign or domestic) for a small “zed” fare cost. This is helpful for flying to destinations that your airline of employment does not fly to, or to destinations that are usually overbooked on your airline. For another example, this summer I used Iceland Air to get to Iceland on standby for 85$ one-way.

We can also fly on any of our major US airlines to any continental US destinations free of charge. As a last resort (and used often by commuting flight attendants) we can ride the flight attendant jump seat on our airline if there are no seats available and we really need to get home or to a destination.

I love being able to fly my friends and family to places they may not normally be able to afford. Just remember, if you have a friend that works for an airline, nothing in life is ever totally free. They work hard for their benefits! Be polite, respectful, or offer a small token of appreciation if you are going to ask for a buddy pass. It will go a long way!

Question #5: Who do you fly for

This is the hardest question for me to answer. Though I am proud of the company I work for, I have learned that people really have real judgments about airlines and are not afraid to let you know! Nothing makes me feel worse than when someone tells me they hate my airline or would never fly them again. I hate to hear that someone didn’t have a good experience and are writing off all the other good experiences they have had or could have in the future.

Truthfully, all airlines have their good days and bad days. The airline industry is EXTREMELY complex and not every flight is going to go as planned. Knowing how everything works, I find it a miracle that so many flights are able to go out on time and without hiccups each and every day! Weather happens, mechanical delays happen, mis-connects happen, and bags get lost. Just know it is never in an airline’s best interest to make their passengers upset or to lose a loyal flier. They are never out to get you or ruin your day, I promise!

My final answer? I fly for an awesome airline, and I love my job!

Question #6: Do you have to pay for your hotel rooms

If we are working, we are never expected to pay for our hotel. We get our own room in a designated layover hotel depending on the length of time the layover is. If we have a longer layover, we are usually put up in a central, downtown hotel. If we have a shorter layover (16 hours or under) we often get a hotel room in a location closer to the airport and in proximity to food or shopping.

Layover hotels are previously set and paid for based on agreements with the airline and the hotel chain which means unfortunately, we do not get to keep points for them. We do often receive small perks or discounts on dining in our hotel as well on some local attractions depending on the location we are staying. We also have designated transportation provided to and from the layover hotel and the airport.

If we are traveling on our own time, we are responsible for all personal travel costs (other than standby flights, including hotels. We do have a great discount program that allows us better rates for certain hotel groups, which is a great perk! We also get discounts to some museums and attractions depending on the location we are visiting.

Question #7: What is your favorite layover/where is your favorite place you have been

This one is HARD to answer! I love being able to layover in all kinds of different places. I have different favorites based on my mood or week, and many flight attendants have favorite spots at the layovers they frequent the most. I enjoy layovers in places I have friends or family because to me, I am getting paid to see them! I also love layovers in Hawaii, Mexico, any city with mountains or beaches (Anchorage, Vancouver, Miami, etc.,) and of course all International Destinations.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say this is one of the COOL-est places I have ever been…

As far as my favorite place I have been? I fall in love with every place I visit. I tend to visit destinations that are very different than where I am from more often. I like to see how people live and I find a lot of destinations that are more “rough” very humbling. Each place creates a new mark on my heart and teaches me new life lessons.

If I had to pick one place though, so far it would be Hawaii. I love the sense of unending adventure mixed with the safe feeling of being sort of “home”. The food is also to die for! It has a lot of Asian influences and you can never go wrong with fresh seafood and island fruit!

Question #8: Is there a secret lounge in the airport you get to use

Yes!

Our base airports all have separate flight attendant and pilot lounges/offices that are secure areas (each airline has their own in their terminals). Each lounge has inflight supervisor and base management offices, a computer room for us to do required trainings or to print any schedules or documents on, a mailroom, a lounge area, a rest/sleep room, and some of our bases even have a separate cafeteria for the staff. Some bases have luggage racks to leave things on, powder rooms, changing rooms, etc.,

We don’t have a gym or locker room yet, but hey…a girl can dream!

Flight attendants are required to check into our “duty” desk in our lounge an hour prior to check in before heading to the gate. This allows the scheduling staff to know we are in place for our flights. If we are on reserve, we have shifts that require us to sit in our lounge as an airport standby on call for any immediate staffing needs (delays that time out other flight attendants, mis-connects, last minute sick incidents, etc.,)

Question #9: Do you get to pick where, or how long you get to stay on a layover

Kind of, sort of.

At my airline, if you are on a reserve, you can preference trips that are available and will be assigned to reserves. It is a chance that you will get it but it is based on time flown for the month and a lot of other factors. You can also pick up a trip on your day off to make extra hours and attempt to get a good trip (a 28 hour layover in Hawaii might just be worth working on a day off for)!

You mean, I can’t stay here forever? 🙁

If you are a “line holder” (aka have a schedule of flights/trip pairings for the month), you can trade those trips for other trips based on a series of rules. The trading process is very detailed and complex to explain. Just know that the trips in our system are already pre-routed and planned and set into schedules. We also have the ability as a “line holder” to pick up trips from other flight attendants in advertisements if we have the days off. We can also trade with other flight attendants if they want a trip we have and visa versa.

In a nutshell, we do not get to pick a flight to Paris with a 48-hour layover unless it is scheduled that way in the system and we either trade into it, or receive it during the bidding process or on call as a reserve. We also don’t get to work to a destination and stay there as long as we want. We are (unfortunately) always scheduled to work a flight back within anywhere from 10 to 50 hours from landing.

Question #10: Where are you based

Chicago!

I consider myself very lucky to be based at home where I am from. Many people spend years trying to transfer back to their home city base, and many flight attendants actually commute on standby flights from their home cities to their working city. Talk about a stressful and time-consuming commute!

I have met flight attendants that commute as far as Hong Kong all the way to Chicago just to get to work!!! The nice thing is, you have the flexibility to live anywhere in the world if you are willing to make the commute.

So there you have it! The top 10 questions I get asked as a flight attendant. I hope this helped answer some of your questions and gave you some insight on how things work from the inside!

One final question I almost always get after telling someone about my job is, “Do you love it?”

My answer always and without a doubt is, YES!

My flight attendant career has totally changed my life for the better. It has allowed me to see some of the most amazing places in the world. I have only been here for three years and I have already been able to visit 22 countries and over 100 cities! I have made some incredible friends all over the world, and am able to take my insights and experiences and share them all with you.

If you absolutely love to travel, enjoy having a spontaneous schedule, and love to meet new people, this might just be the perfect job for you too!

Do you have any questions about being a flight attendant? Feel free to ask me in the comments below or reach out personally! I am always happy to share more or help others wanting a career path in travel!