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Galley Gossip: Advice for flight attendants in training
Hello!
I have been just recently hired as a flight attendant for a commuter airlines called Colgan Air. I am just emailing you to ask for some advice on starting out, tips of the trade! I hope to hear from you soon!
Thanks,
Leilah
Leilah,
Even in this day and age of travel when being a flight attendant isn't quite as glamorous as it once was, airlines receive thousands of applications each month from people who are interested in the job. This means competition is fierce. Airlines choose only the best candidates. That, Leilah, says a lot about you. Congratulations!
When it comes to flight attendant training, as well as those first few months on the job, my advice to you is simply this, do not quit! Trust me, at some point you will want to. I've been there. We all have. Just remember that no matter how frustrated or tired you become, do not give up. Training will only last a few weeks and when it's over you'll have a lifetime of adventure ahead of you. No matter how much you miss your friends, family, and loved ones, do not throw in the towel. Stay focused. Think about all the great places you can take your family and friends once you get your travel benefits. No matter how much someone misses you and begs you to come home, don't quit. Just think about all those days off (at least twelve of them) that you can spend with them when you're not working a nine to five job - Every. Single. Day. No matter which crew base you're assigned, do not make any rash decisions. The job is flexible and in time you will figure out how to manipulate your flight schedule so that you can be exactly where you want to be whenever you want to be there. Remember, the job is unlike any other job, so it only makes sense that it will take some getting used to. Eventually you will figure out how to make the job work for you.
While I know the job is not for everyone, I just want to make sure you give it enough time before making any drastic decisions. Because it's not just a job, it's a lifestyle, a very unusual one. I say this because years ago I had a crash pad roommate who, after eight months on the job, decided to quit. She wanted to become a hairdresser. Two years later she wanted her old job back. So she reapplied, scored a few interviews with different airlines, and, as far as I know, never did get hired again.
As for flight attendant training, it can be overwhelming at times. In fact, I found the seven and a half week course at my airline to be tougher than four years of college. Not because it was hard, per se, but because there is a lot of information to absorb in a short amount of time. On top of this, there will be late nights and early mornings with very little sleep in between. You will, at some point, feel exhausted. You might also find yourself having trouble thinking clearly, or even thinking at all! Then when classmates begin to suddenly disappear, you may become paranoid. I know I did. At one point I truly believed that the salt and pepper shakers in the cafeteria might be bugged. I mean why else were classmates going POOF! during a five minute bathroom break, never to be seen or heard from again?
Now mix it all together; all that new information coming in at once, the exhaustion, the paranoia, not to mention feelings of homesickness, and you've got a trainee reacting in ways they might not normally behave. Perhaps by pushing trainees to their breaking point the airlines believe they will observe how future flight attendants might react in less than desirable situations at 30,000 feet. Maybe this is just a way an airline can filter out the weak since a big part of the job is remaining calm under pressure.
A few other tips...
1. Don't be late. The airplane doesn't wait for anyone, so why would your instructor? Unless a flight is understaffed, an airline will not delay a departure in order to wait on a flight attendant who is running late. If you're late to class be prepared to leave your flight manual by the locked door and return to wherever you came from.
2. Get lots of rest. Nodding off in class is another way to obtain your walking papers. Flight attendants must stay awake during a flight unless it's a long haul flight overseas with scheduled crew breaks. We are to remain alert at all times in order to handle in flight emergencies quickly and swiftly. Caffeine is your friend.
3. Beware of flight instructors. Do not get confused and think you're friends with a flight instructor. Oh sure they might be nice, at first, but it's their job to make sure that only the best flight attendants graduate. Trust me, they're just looking for a reason to get rid of you, so don't make it easy by letting your guard down.
Hope that helps, Leilah, and good luck to you!
Heather Poole
** ATTENTION FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: Share your flight attendant training stories below - the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Photos courtesy of Jfithian and Jfithian
Filed under: Airlines, Galley Gossip
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
frank96 Mar 3rd 2010 11:15AM
Great advice, Heather.
I've been through THREE inflight training programs and have been an inflight instructor...........so listen up.
Attitude. You may be in class for 10 days straight, hoping for a day off to sleep in, do laundry or simply relax. Everyday, WEAR A SMILE. Be upbeat. They'll be watching to see your attitude at 6am in the morning, while doing evacuation drills in the hangar or at midnight, serving your classmates, beverages. And, LOOK your best. I remember in one of my training classes, we all went out to enjoy a few minutes in the sun. It was a windy July day. We all returned to class, sat down and received a lecture on our "lack of grooming" before returning to class. Three words: Wind swept HAIR. Always LOOK professional.
Study habits. I agree with Heather, the material covered can be overwhelming. Everything from AED, CPR, hazardous materials, child birth, Fire extinguishers, terrorism, seizures, announcements, city codes, etc, etc, etc, all within weeks.
I can not emphasize this enough, find someone in training, possibly someone who has flown before and BUDDY UP with them to study. Someone who is serious. Share homework, you'll get plenty of that. And, you will be tested on it. Get a failing grade and YOU GO HOME. No retakes. Study.....study...study! Find little ways to remember your material. For example. The H2O water extinguisher lasts 20 seconds. See the "20" in the name. Remember that.
I have the deepest respect for the "commuter" flight attendants. Some fly alone. Having to handle all inflight emergencies by themselves. Not being able to rely on fellow crewmembers in the CABIN, but of course, having the cockpit to assist within reason. They fly multiple leg days, everyday.
I had such a sense of pride when I completed Flight Attendant training. I could tell you what components made up a bomb. How to communicate with the outside of the aircraft in a hijacking situation. Yell commands in a smoke filled cabin, "come this way! Stay low! Hold hands!"
It's a wonderful lifestyle. I've seen the world. Met fascinating passengers. And, then there's the reality of the job. Cancellations, irate passengers, long days and short nights. But, that's all apart of the job.
BEST OF LUCK. Leiha.
Chris Mar 4th 2010 2:19PM
I agree with just about everything Frank96 mentioned - great advice! I too have gone through training with more than one airline and have also been an instructor. I must say, at my second airline, classmates would come to me for help because I had flown before. But it was so difficult unlearning 100's of procedures/policies and relearning them. Some things were exactly the same but 75% was totally new. So I was completely honest and warned classmates that it was actually harder for me than it probably was for them. Although I did very well in training, to this day (11 years at my current airline), I still occasionally confuse workrules/procedures/contract issues with my former carrier.
Traytable Mar 3rd 2010 11:07AM
Wow, you're right about the paranoia, Heather! I think it's a bit harsh to say instructors are just looking for a reason to boot trainees. Airlines spend a lot of money on training & only a serious reason would justify getting rid of someone. In my experience, all of my instructors have been very supportive to help us get through, while not putting up with laziness or incompetence.
As for advice- don't feel like you have to conform with the group. Some will want to party instead of study, but it's up to you to decide what you're willing to do and how much timeyou'l study. Having said that, try to study as much as you can, using whatever method works for you. And make sure to schedule 'break time' so you don't go crazy!! Good luck
Mike Mar 3rd 2010 11:12AM
Jobs open for the Colgan Air company hopefully their plans offer the right plans you are looking. Suggested for the job entries: Make sure you have plenty of time to look for the right position within, since if you go for a flight attendee up in the Skies you are going to be traveling for a long time!
frank96 Mar 3rd 2010 11:30AM
** ATTENTION FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: Share your flight attendant training stories below - the good, the bad, and the ugly.
ok, here's mine. And dont tell anyone. LOL.
My roommate in training was "sleeping" with the instructor. In fact, in all the weeks of training, he never slept in our hotel room. Would show up for the van transportation within minutes of it leaving the hotel. Every morning, my paranoia would get the best of me.....thinking....OMG, what if he doesnt make the van today? What if..........the (other) instructors confront ME and ask questions? Will they send me home for NOT telling them? I was worried sick.
Noah Mar 3rd 2010 11:49AM
I agree with Heather's first bit of advice, don't quit. I've been through training twice, once with a regional, then again at a major. Both times I wanted to just give up, walk away, and head home halfway through. I just told myself it was only six weeks, I can put up with anything for six weeks. The second time was even worse, because everyone assumed I knew everything. Well I had the general idea, but it was more difficult to forget old procedures and replace them with new ones.
During training and IOE, always be on your best behavior. They ask everyone about you, gate agents, bus drivers, hotel staff, pilots, other flight attendants, other airline employees. Could be that paranoia coming out, but everyone seems to agree this is true.
I don't think instructors are looking for ways to get rid of you, but they won't hesitate to do so. What Heather mentioned about a locked door if you are late is 100% true. They lock the door when class starts, so if you are starting at 9am, be there by 8:50, because the door will be locked at 9:00. Even if you show up at 9:02 you will get the boot.
Training is not all gloom and doom, suck it up or go home either. It is fun, I had a blast during both, and the instructors try to make sure you are having a good time while you learn. They made us stay in a liferaft in the pool overnight. While that seems like a torturous exercise, it really was a good learning experience, and by that point we were all friends for the most part and spent the entire night talking.
Also, after you finish training, have fun, I loved my job at a regional, in some ways more than my current mainline job. It was so much fun to hang out with the pilots in our "boring" overnight hotels, even when we had short overnights. The crews are much closer, and there are a lot less "slam-clickers" in the regional world.
citrusfa Mar 3rd 2010 1:41PM
Ah, training. Some of us were recently reminiscing, as we just passed our one year anniversary with the company. Here's a couple tips (yes, #1 really happened):
1. If they allow you to have hard candy in class (never gum!), make sure you don't buy anything that's sugar free. Two of my friends did so and were popping those things one after the other to help stay awake and alert. Problem is, there's something in those sugar free candies that messes with your system, and they spent our entire lunch break in the restroom! We laughed about that for the rest of the month.
2. Don't give up! Our last week was spent teasingly quarantining two classmates, as they had come down with pretty severe colds, and you just don't have the time to rest and recover during training. Another classmate had a family emergency, but opted to remain in class because she wanted it so badly. Your class IS your support group, so take advantage! If something comes up that you absolutely can't get through, call the instructor. A friend came down with a 105 fever, and was able to get placed in the training class that was one week after ours.
3. Don't go out and buy a whole new wardrobe as a graduation gift. I lost about two dress sizes during training, and then 6 months later, I was crash dieting to fit into a bridesmaid dress that I had ordered one month after training.
4. No matter how long reserve lasts (if you even have to do it), stick it out! They told us two years of reserve when we graduated, but here I am after one year with a move-up/build-up line. It's not a hard line, but it's a huge step up from reserve.
5. Take advantage of study groups, and keep an ear out for advice from people with previous FA experience. It will be invaluable once you're out on line.
Above all, enjoy yourself! Training is one of those experiences that is stressful at the time, but just remind yourself that you'll laugh about it when it's over.
Blondie Mar 5th 2010 1:24AM
My best advice: don't try to get ahead with the material you have to learn. Stay exactly with the instructors. Don't try to learn one aircraft while you are studying another. Flashcards can be very useful. Don't party too much---plenty of time for that. And, as said previously, do NOT be late. At my airline, the saying during training was: "If you're on time, you're late." Be early. Get sleep. Eat well. Let loose every now and then, just not too crazy. It's a great job, lotsa cool people to meet and fabulous places to go. My time at a regional showed me so many great cities here in the US that I never would have gotten to know. You're in for a treat!
Veronica Mar 20th 2010 11:48AM
Thanks for all the advice! I will start training next week and I'm already nervous!Our training is only 4 weeks. I wanted to know whats the schedule like for a new flight attendant and I saw someone mention about reserve? Any more tips please let me know. I have had a hard time studying the material that they gave me already and sometimes I want to give up....