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New York Times: Flight attendants have a hard job
In the tradition of Plimpton-esque participatory journalism, a New York Times travel writer, Michelle Higgins, trained to become an American Airlines flight attendant and worked two flights, talking to real flight attendants and recounting the experience with a long piece in today's travel section.The story doesn't really break any new ground. Its overwhelming conclusion: Flight attendants have it real hard these days.
Still, it's a story that's probably been a long time coming, given the changes that have rocked the airline industry after Sept. 11 and made the whole flying experience a lot less enjoyable for both passengers and crew members alike.
The faux drama of the story's beginning notwithstanding, there's some interesting behind-the-scenes reporting here, and the piece gives flight attendants ample space to talk about the pressures and stress that come with the job.
Check it out, and for more insights into the lives of flight attendants, keep up with Gadling's resident FA, Heather Poole, and her Galley Gossip blog.
Filed under: Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kent Wien Sep 14th 2008 11:09AM
This New York Times article is required reading for anyone who thinks flight attendants have it easy. So if anyone is about to leave a comment about "how thankful they should be just to have a job," please take the time to actually read the article.
It's meant to give people the chance to walk a mile in the shoes of a flight attendant (even mentioning what kind of shoes they are) but it's not saying that they have it better or worse than other occupations.
My hat's off to them.
Heather Poole Sep 14th 2008 7:15PM
Love you Kent, and thanks for the shout out Jeffrey! It is a hard job, yet we continue to do it because we love it. :)
DJ Sep 15th 2008 9:30AM
Maybe next they need to do a bit about walking a mile in nurses shoes!