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Flight Attendant Confesses Ups And Downs Of Job
An anonymous woman who said she is a 22-year-old flight attendant for a major airline urged Reddit users to ask her anything in an open forum over the weekend. The candid Q&A session turned into a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a flight attendant, including a tell all on the weird things passengers ask for, a discussion on how many people really try to join the mile high club and a confession about the kind of shenanigans that really happen between lonely crew members at outposts. Keep reading to learn more about the ups and downs of the job, including why you should be nice while on board a plane. Just be warned this post is most definitely NSFW (not safe for work).
Q: What is the most crazy request you have been asked by a passenger?
Q: What is the most crazy request you have been asked by a passenger?
A: Crazy? Goodness.
- A bag to spit in. I had to confirm several times the word spit
- A lady with a neck brace "I need soft food I will have rice" (The menu items did not include rice even after explaining she kept ordering things that just didn't exist)
- Hot fried chips
- Nappies
- Ice cream
- My number
- On a Lagos flight a passenger told me he wanted to masturbate. I directed him to the on board toilet.
If it exists a passenger has asked me for it. They ask for EVERYTHING.
Q: What is the best thing about being a flight attendant?
A: Best thing? I feel obvious but new destinations, I get a small taste of EVERYTHING I love it so much, I get to see smell and taste so much. I meet friends all over the world and party like a rockstar everywhere I go because I know I wont be there for long.
Q: What is the pay like? Besides being able to travel all over the world, are there any other benefits, either monetary or otherwise?
Q: What is the pay like? Besides being able to travel all over the world, are there any other benefits, either monetary or otherwise?
A: About 38k US a year, free rent transport and bills, all I pay is internet and taxi. 90% off tickets.
Q: Are there as many people joining the mile high club in the bathroom as television portrays it?
Q: Are there as many people joining the mile high club in the bathroom as television portrays it?
A: Yes people try to join the mile high club. Let me tell you something, those toilets are FILTHY. Absolute FILTH. People shit in the sinks.
Moving on, I caught a lesbian couple in the toilets we had to get three crew to bang open the door and make them come out. She responded with[,] "We were trying to piss[.]"
A crew was fired for getting drunk while she was a passenger flying somewhere and joining a gentleman in the lavatory.
A women had TWO men going at it on a flight from Manchester. Crew opened the door on them and the female tried to assault the crew. When the men went to their connecting flight they were arrested. Not sure what happened to them!
Q: Do people really get bumped to first class if there is a conflict with another passenger?
A: With the question of bumping people yes we move people but generally not for conflict. A month ago on one of my flights economy was full and this gentleman had changed seats several times to accommodate couples, families etc who needed to change seats. He didnt care where he sat and was so gracious. So we moved him to business class. Lesson, be nice!
If you are ill (severely) you will usually be moved to business or first if there aren't many people in those cabins to recuperate and lie down at the discretion of the seniors.
Q: What's something a passenger has done that you've really appreciated, or was just really nice?
A: I've had passengers write comment cards about me, they get given to me via emails from my manager, which is so nice ... i love them[.]
Q: When do you plan on settling down? This job doesn't seem like the type where you can keep a stable relationship.
Q: When do you plan on settling down? This job doesn't seem like the type where you can keep a stable relationship.
A: I know :( I hope it's around 25 ... I am 22 now and I love the job so I think two or so more years before I move back home and find love ... I will never find a stable relationship in the industry, it is unstable. I want a stable relationship but I wont find it here[.]
Q: Since you fly so much, do you happen to have any sexual urges while in a different country? Do you get off to hooking up with passengers or do you go somewhere to get some?
Q: Since you fly so much, do you happen to have any sexual urges while in a different country? Do you get off to hooking up with passengers or do you go somewhere to get some?
A: Yep! I um see friends in outstations. I have had some encounters in Hong Kong and I have a few 'friends' in Dubai. It's really hard and you get really lonely so you look for any guy to meet you after flights. All the crew sleep with each other in outstation. It's a big problem, the cabin crew are desperate to sleep with pilots and senior crew. You have crew call you in the middle of the night in your room, especially pilots!
Q: How long do you stay in each city?
Q: How long do you stay in each city?
A: Usually 24-72 hours[.]
Q: What's your favourite city in the world?
Q: What's your favourite city in the world?
A: I cannot name one but I will try to do it region wise
1) Hong Kong (The most fun)
2) Vienna (Amazing food, people, scenery)
3) Moscow (Fascinating, so closed for so long)
4) Melbourne, Australia (Diverse, charming filled with character)
I find some redeeming quality in every city I visit.
Q: What are your thoughts on flight etiquette (e.g. when it's okay to put your seat all the way back). Is there a classic faux pas we should know about?
Q: What are your thoughts on flight etiquette (e.g. when it's okay to put your seat all the way back). Is there a classic faux pas we should know about?
A: Seat back if your legs are too long and when not eating. During the meal seats up and if you're short, it's not really necessarily. But otherwise seats up for everyone when eating, you can do whatever you want after service.
Q: I'd like to be a flight attendant to see what it's like to travel and interact. Would I have to go through an exorbitant amount of training before I can work?
Q: I'd like to be a flight attendant to see what it's like to travel and interact. Would I have to go through an exorbitant amount of training before I can work?
A: I did 7 weeks! So worth it... I felt so ready. The training is hard but it paid [off] for me[.]
Q: How do you adjust being in the air so often, and with different time zones and all that? When I fly from the US to Singapore, by the time of the end of the trip I want to actually throw up. Air gets so thin, and the airline food is pretty bad even on Singapore Airlines. I literally need to have a can of sprite when flying on long flights next to me once every hour, slowly sipping until the soda is done to keep sane.
Q: How do you adjust being in the air so often, and with different time zones and all that? When I fly from the US to Singapore, by the time of the end of the trip I want to actually throw up. Air gets so thin, and the airline food is pretty bad even on Singapore Airlines. I literally need to have a can of sprite when flying on long flights next to me once every hour, slowly sipping until the soda is done to keep sane.
A: You never really adjust. I just did three middle of the night flights and I can't stay awake in the day, so I have been nocturnal for a week. Some things that I do to keep myself sane is as soon as I get on board I get a bottle of 1.5L water and make myself drink it all. Then I brew a big pot of mint tea after the service and make myself drink that throughout the flight too. Keeping hydrated is valuable to my sanity and mood. We have one trip that is four days long and you have 24 hours in each port but the whole flights are nighttime only. It is TORTURE. Key points 1) Stay hydrated 2) Stay rested (sleep whenever you are tired) 3) Eat smart (this means no business class cheese boards or first class caviar, stick to fresh food only) For me eating right is the hardest, you're so tired you just want to SHOVE chocolate in your mouth. If I follow the above I am totally fine on board. On flights over 10 hours or so we get rest (sleep) in the crew bunks[.]
Q: What airline/flight benefits or perks do you get as a result of your job?
Q: What airline/flight benefits or perks do you get as a result of your job?
A: 90% [Off] Flights
Hotel discounts
Event discounts
Free tickets to events
For more adventures in the sky, be sure to follow our resident flight attendant, Heather Poole, in her "Galley Gossip" column.
Please note: These questions and answers have been edited slightly to fit an interview format.
[Photo credit: Flickr user laszlo-photo]
For more adventures in the sky, be sure to follow our resident flight attendant, Heather Poole, in her "Galley Gossip" column.
Please note: These questions and answers have been edited slightly to fit an interview format.
[Photo credit: Flickr user laszlo-photo]
Filed under: Airlines, News, Airline Reviews
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
ndifranco Dec 3rd 2012 1:26PM
No source link to Reddit? Poor form, Gadling, and pretty much copyright infringement and plagiarism.
Libby Dec 3rd 2012 1:51PM
Perhaps you missed the link in the first sentence?
@Libby Dec 3rd 2012 3:12PM
Neither of the links in the first sentence are to the AMA, they're just to Gadling's other, admittedly enjoyable, content about flight attendants.
Alek Dec 3rd 2012 7:18PM
Again, maybe you missed the links in the first sentence? You know, where it links to: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/146wof/iama_international_4_star_rating_flight_attendant/
"urged Reddit users". see?
Sara Dec 3rd 2012 7:18PM
As a 27 year veteran of both commercial and corporate aviation I beg to differ with the statement regarding "hooking up" with crew or passengers. In my experience it is more the exception than the rule. With changes to scheduling that give airlines more productivity and flexibility who has time or energy to "party like a rockstar" and most of my co-workers have more professsionalism and decorum than to hook up with each other or the customers. (Not to mention most are loyal and commited to their spouses/partners.) Not sure who she works for but I don't know of any U.S. airlines that pay your rent, even overseas. I've spent my entire career trying to dispell the undeserved stereotype of flight attendants as morality-free, girls-gone-wild. Thanks for the setback.
Pat Graham Dec 3rd 2012 10:52PM
Sara, thanks for your comments. I too thought the talk about hooking up was so out of character for most of us. Even in my junior years, I didn't see that happening. On the contrary, many a passenger or hotel guest who saw the uniform & thought "easy" was firmly yet politely rejected. Looks like we still have to keep polishing & protecting the image of our job.
Vicki Dec 4th 2012 2:44PM
I couldn't agree with you more, Sara. I am a 26 year veteran with a major airline, and have only once ( in 26 yrs) have seen a flight attendant "hook-up" with someone. And to pay the rent, I've never heard of any airline doing that.
J Dec 4th 2012 5:50PM
Sara and Vicki, you have both been working longer than this flight attendant has been alive. At 22, she is part of a new generation of young women who think nothing of doing it with someone they just met. If only I were 20 years younger myself...sigh.
Jen Dec 4th 2012 4:14PM
Sara,
I believe she must work for Emirates. I have been a flight attendant 14 years here in the U.S. definitely hook ups are exception not the rule. She is obviously young and perhaps it is different at the airline she works for. But I think this definitely made the flight attendants once again look like the stewardesses from Coffee, Tea, or Me. I laughed as I read it - since it just seems like a piece of fiction to me. This girl probably just started flying, was already a bit trampy, and this is allowing her to flit around and hook up all over the world. She won't last in the airline industry.
galegal Dec 4th 2012 5:38PM
From the sound of it, she does not work for any major US carrier. Back in the good times I knew a very few F/A who pretty much gave the rest of us the reputation of sky sluts. I had the misfortune to get a room connecting to theirs one trip and could not sleep for the racket they made. They had picked up a couple of guys on our JFK-LAX flt and sat in their laps during the movie, made frequent trips to the lav and came out sniffing and then one was not at her door for arrival! I had to run to disarm it so the agent wouldn't get flattened by the slide. Definitely the exception rather than the rule which is why I still remember this incident. Most F/A are much classier than all that.
Every airline is different. Different routes, rates of pay, work rules AND apparently hiring practices.
joe Dec 4th 2012 8:18PM
Sara: Right now, girl. I agree 100% and am in a position to do so.
jermain Dec 5th 2012 7:38AM
May be that's you, people are different.
Capt. Dave Dec 4th 2012 2:55PM
I used to fly over 300,000 business miles a year, back in the early 70's. I have seen very drunk pilots, crew and some of the most shocking activities one can imagine on flights, domestic and international. They were all riddled with wild exploits!
The upper lounge on the 747's was a great place to have sex with other passengers and crew. Yes crew! Some (many) of those girls were wild nymphos! Many Passengers were drunk and out of control. They would walk around nude, have sex under blankets in their seats or often no blankets.
I must admit it was an exausting and fun time of my young life, in the corporate world.
It does not appear that the, now not-so-friendly, sky's are any safer now than then!
coolhandluke Dec 4th 2012 3:58PM
gotta call BS on that dave.
Lily Dec 4th 2012 9:12PM
Capt.Dave (tongue in cheek) You must have been tripping or dreaming! You only wish! Lol
Jon Dec 4th 2012 3:28PM
I think the reason so many of this flight attendant's comments sound "off" to so many flight attendant readers is that she obviously works for a foreign airline. So to most U.S. airline flight crew, many of her comments sound like outright lies: I mean, doesn't have to pay her own rent? Come on, that's how it works at Middle Eastern airlines but NOT in the U.S.
Hugh Huffner Dec 4th 2012 4:21PM
That's a great idea, put hookers up in the airplanes! Calling all pimps, calling all pimps!
jaba Dec 4th 2012 4:07PM
I just got back from a flight from NY to AZ, and contracted a viral infection from the cabin "recycled" air in the plane. A friend developed a severe sinus infection when returning to AZ from Ireland due to the recycled cabin air. I wonder how flight attendants stay healthy in such an environment. I read where one shouldn't turn on the spicket for the forced air, as it is only the recycled cabin air and can potentially make you ill. I think the next time I'll drive to NY, instead.
A&P GUY Dec 4th 2012 5:20PM
Actually....the air is not "recycled", it's always fresh air from outside and heated to be comfortable. There are valves to keep the cabin presurized because a small amount of presurized air always leaks out in different places. So don't think it's contaminated air. It's from outside.
Les Dec 4th 2012 8:36PM
We don't stay healthy in fact a lot of us have tubes in ears or have had sinus surgery. The sick policy for us carriers is crazy for flight crew, and even though the air is not technically "recycled" it is not a safe working enviroment for flight crew pilots included. It is such a dry enviroment it kills your sinus cavity and your subjected to so many people in such a confined space we get sick often with everything you can think of. After awhile the immune system builds up a resistance but no matter how long you been doing it we still get sick more than average. We also cannot pop many OTC drugs while on duty like most people can at work to "get by" while working sick. We are forced to work sick pilots too, which that is a aafety issue for pilots def., yet commercial airlines could care less you would die if you knew how many pilots fly around with flu like symptoms for fear of job loss due to a ridiculous sick call policy. As of last week we are now protected under OSHA, about time, so hopefully some things will change. They should be disinfecting aircraft at the least daily and they are barely "cleaned" as it stands now. Also the block limit of daily duty days is inhumane. You would think after the studies came out two yrs ago saying driving with a common cold is like drunk driving in that it affecys reaction time that pilots would be considered unfit for duty but nope it will take a major disaster for airline management to realize their sick policy for flight crew is just plain dumb and a safety issue