With all the major airlines scaling back, the small regional airlines are getting a boost in routes. Many of the major airlines are pulling out most of their flights from certain routes and putting the regional airlines on their routes. Skywest which is a regional airline for United Airlines is hiring. You can go to:
http://www.skywest.com/careers/skywest-airlines-jobs.php
The most recent group hiring is:
All Group Interviews are subject to time and location changes. Please check back periodically for confirmation.
LOCATION TIME / ADDRESS
DENVER, CO Thu. September 3rd - 3:00 PM, Doubletree Hotel 3203 Quebec Street Denver, CO 80207
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Demographics of the US Flight Attendants
Here is an article sent to me, and it is so true...
he Changing Demography of U.S. Flight Attendants
by Rogelio Saenz and Louwanda Evans
June 2009
Over the last several decades, many industries have experienced significant structural changes that have affected their employees. The airline industry, for example, has faced major policy and economic forces that have changed the demography of its workers, especially its flight attendants.
Civil rights laws in the mid-1960s made it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of age, sex, or race. Thus, the airline industry had to abandon its preference for hiring young women as well as its no-marriage and no-pregnancy rules and weight restrictions. In addition, deregulation of the airline industry in the late 1970s led to a hiring freeze of flight attendants and an ensuing preferential treatment for hiring workers furloughed by other airlines.1
Finally, the Sept. 11 attacks resulted in significant layoffs of flight attendants. In this environment, many flight attendants with low levels of accrued seniority were often the first to be furloughed.
Flight attendants have become older compared with the overall U.S. workforce over the last several decades. The ongoing economic crisis suggests that the population of flight attendants will age even more in the coming years as many workers are likely to postpone their retirement.2
The Aging of Flight Attendants
The age structure of flight attendants has changed dramatically since 1980. While flight attendants were younger than the overall U.S. workforce in 1980, they are now older (see Figure 1).3 Indeed, between 1980 and 2007, the median age of all U.S. workers increased by six years (from 35 to 41), but the median age of flight attendants rose by 14 years (from 30 to 44).
Figure 1
Median Age of U.S. Flight Attendants and All U.S. Workers, 1980-2007
Source: American Community Survey data.
During this period, there has been a tremendous shift in the age distribution of flight attendants (see Figure 2). While the percentage of flight attendants younger than 35 dropped from 78 percent in 1980 to 21 percent in 2007, the percentage of these workers 45 years of age and older shot up from 6 percent in 1980 to 50 percent in 2007.
Figure 2
Age Distribution of U.S. Flight Attendants, 1980-2007 (%)
Source: American Community Survey data.
More Diversity, More Men, and Lower Real Wages
Other important changes have taken place among flight attendants since 1980. The racial and ethnic composition of flight attendants has become less white (82.6 percent were white in 1980 compared with 70 percent in 2007), and more black (8.5 percent in 1980; 14 percent in 2007) and Latino (4.9 percent in 1980; 9.1 percent in 2007). Still, Latinos are relatively underrepresented in this occupation.
Although flight attendants continue to be predominantly female, males have increased their presence between 1980 (19.3 males per 100 females) and 2007 (26.4 males per 100 females).
There has also been a dramatic shift in the earnings of flight attendants since 1980. After adjusting for inflation, the median hourly wages (in 2007 dollars) dropped by 26 percent between 1980 and 2007. In contrast, the median hourly wages of all U.S. workers rose by 13 percent during this period. Furthermore, while female flight attendants used to have higher wages than male workers (perhaps due to greater levels of seniority), males now have slightly higher wages.
Implications
We find that other segments of the airline industry have not aged as much as flight attendants. For example, the median age of airline pilots increased by six years and that of airline mechanics rose by four years between 1980 and 2007.
The existing economic crisis suggests that the population of flight attendants are likely to become increasingly older in the coming years, as many workers postpone retirement. Because health care needs escalate with age, flight attendants will likely have a significant impact on health care costs to the airline industry.
Rogelio Saenz is professor of sociology at Texas A&M University. Louwanda Evans is a doctoral student in the department of sociology at Texas A&M University. Evans is a former flight attendant. The authors appreciate earlier conversations with Joachim Singelmann on this topic as well as the helpful comments of Karen Manges Douglas on an earlier draft of this report.
he Changing Demography of U.S. Flight Attendants
by Rogelio Saenz and Louwanda Evans
June 2009
Over the last several decades, many industries have experienced significant structural changes that have affected their employees. The airline industry, for example, has faced major policy and economic forces that have changed the demography of its workers, especially its flight attendants.
Civil rights laws in the mid-1960s made it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of age, sex, or race. Thus, the airline industry had to abandon its preference for hiring young women as well as its no-marriage and no-pregnancy rules and weight restrictions. In addition, deregulation of the airline industry in the late 1970s led to a hiring freeze of flight attendants and an ensuing preferential treatment for hiring workers furloughed by other airlines.1
Finally, the Sept. 11 attacks resulted in significant layoffs of flight attendants. In this environment, many flight attendants with low levels of accrued seniority were often the first to be furloughed.
Flight attendants have become older compared with the overall U.S. workforce over the last several decades. The ongoing economic crisis suggests that the population of flight attendants will age even more in the coming years as many workers are likely to postpone their retirement.2
The Aging of Flight Attendants
The age structure of flight attendants has changed dramatically since 1980. While flight attendants were younger than the overall U.S. workforce in 1980, they are now older (see Figure 1).3 Indeed, between 1980 and 2007, the median age of all U.S. workers increased by six years (from 35 to 41), but the median age of flight attendants rose by 14 years (from 30 to 44).
Figure 1
Median Age of U.S. Flight Attendants and All U.S. Workers, 1980-2007
Source: American Community Survey data.
During this period, there has been a tremendous shift in the age distribution of flight attendants (see Figure 2). While the percentage of flight attendants younger than 35 dropped from 78 percent in 1980 to 21 percent in 2007, the percentage of these workers 45 years of age and older shot up from 6 percent in 1980 to 50 percent in 2007.
Figure 2
Age Distribution of U.S. Flight Attendants, 1980-2007 (%)
Source: American Community Survey data.
More Diversity, More Men, and Lower Real Wages
Other important changes have taken place among flight attendants since 1980. The racial and ethnic composition of flight attendants has become less white (82.6 percent were white in 1980 compared with 70 percent in 2007), and more black (8.5 percent in 1980; 14 percent in 2007) and Latino (4.9 percent in 1980; 9.1 percent in 2007). Still, Latinos are relatively underrepresented in this occupation.
Although flight attendants continue to be predominantly female, males have increased their presence between 1980 (19.3 males per 100 females) and 2007 (26.4 males per 100 females).
There has also been a dramatic shift in the earnings of flight attendants since 1980. After adjusting for inflation, the median hourly wages (in 2007 dollars) dropped by 26 percent between 1980 and 2007. In contrast, the median hourly wages of all U.S. workers rose by 13 percent during this period. Furthermore, while female flight attendants used to have higher wages than male workers (perhaps due to greater levels of seniority), males now have slightly higher wages.
Implications
We find that other segments of the airline industry have not aged as much as flight attendants. For example, the median age of airline pilots increased by six years and that of airline mechanics rose by four years between 1980 and 2007.
The existing economic crisis suggests that the population of flight attendants are likely to become increasingly older in the coming years, as many workers postpone retirement. Because health care needs escalate with age, flight attendants will likely have a significant impact on health care costs to the airline industry.
Rogelio Saenz is professor of sociology at Texas A&M University. Louwanda Evans is a doctoral student in the department of sociology at Texas A&M University. Evans is a former flight attendant. The authors appreciate earlier conversations with Joachim Singelmann on this topic as well as the helpful comments of Karen Manges Douglas on an earlier draft of this report.
A typical night
So par for the course to be up at 1:30am pacific standard time but on the East Coast and can't sleep anymore. Who goes to bed at 6pm? I have to get up in 20 minutes for my flight after 4 hours of sleep. Been up since 11:00pm pacific standard time, 2:00am Eastern standard time. And people wonder why flight attendants are always so tired and sometimes cranky.
Time to drink some coffee and fly to San Francisco...
Time to drink some coffee and fly to San Francisco...
Monday, April 6, 2009
Pet Flight Attendants
Here is a perfect flight attendant job! No back talking (well at least not a lot), no complaining, no demands, these passengers won't have their headsets on when you talk to them, they will comply with all the rules, and they won't ask for coffee or tea and not tell you what they want in it!
Here is the info:
We have several positions available:
* In-Flight Pet Attendants
* Ground Based Pet Attendants
Positions are:
Full Time and Part Time
Management and Non-Management
We have positions available in, New York/New Jersey,
Washington DC/Baltimore, Chicago, Denver and in Los Angeles.
Job Responsibities:
Pet Airways Pet Attendants are responsible for the comfort and safety of all our pawsengers, from the time the reservation is made to the time that our pawsengers’ are picked up. Our pawsengers are our number one concern, and our Pet Attendants are expected to go beyond the call of duty to make sure that every pet gets the best care, with lots of love.
Pet Attendants will be stationed at our Pet Lounges, checking in and taking care of our pawsengers on the ground, and on a rotating basis with other Pet Attendants, fly with our pawsengers taking care of them in the air.
Pet Attendants will be in charge of our pawsenger’s welfare, and be prepared to make informed decisions regarding pet comfort and safety while in transit.
Pet Attendants will also work with customers by email and phone to help in our customer service effort making sure all questions are answered and so that pet parents have a real person to talk to about their pets needs.
Qualifications:
* Previous substantial pet handling experience in a professional environment. e.g. Veterinary office staff, Vet technicians, pet boarding, pet grooming, pet day care.
* Prefer certificated but not essential
* Not afraid of flying
* Have a can do, take charge attitude
* Shown increasing responsibility in previous jobs
* Computer skills essential
* Ability to work well with others and especially with all types of pets
* Outgoing personality with a strong sense of responsibility
* No allergies to pets (of course)
* Willing to work nights and off hours
* Maturity in thought and actions
* Must absolutely love pets
Pet Airways is an equal opportunity employer.
Please email all resumes to jobs@petairways.com. No Phone Calls Please.
Here is the info:
We have several positions available:
* In-Flight Pet Attendants
* Ground Based Pet Attendants
Positions are:
Full Time and Part Time
Management and Non-Management
We have positions available in, New York/New Jersey,
Washington DC/Baltimore, Chicago, Denver and in Los Angeles.
Job Responsibities:
Pet Airways Pet Attendants are responsible for the comfort and safety of all our pawsengers, from the time the reservation is made to the time that our pawsengers’ are picked up. Our pawsengers are our number one concern, and our Pet Attendants are expected to go beyond the call of duty to make sure that every pet gets the best care, with lots of love.
Pet Attendants will be stationed at our Pet Lounges, checking in and taking care of our pawsengers on the ground, and on a rotating basis with other Pet Attendants, fly with our pawsengers taking care of them in the air.
Pet Attendants will be in charge of our pawsenger’s welfare, and be prepared to make informed decisions regarding pet comfort and safety while in transit.
Pet Attendants will also work with customers by email and phone to help in our customer service effort making sure all questions are answered and so that pet parents have a real person to talk to about their pets needs.
Qualifications:
* Previous substantial pet handling experience in a professional environment. e.g. Veterinary office staff, Vet technicians, pet boarding, pet grooming, pet day care.
* Prefer certificated but not essential
* Not afraid of flying
* Have a can do, take charge attitude
* Shown increasing responsibility in previous jobs
* Computer skills essential
* Ability to work well with others and especially with all types of pets
* Outgoing personality with a strong sense of responsibility
* No allergies to pets (of course)
* Willing to work nights and off hours
* Maturity in thought and actions
* Must absolutely love pets
Pet Airways is an equal opportunity employer.
Please email all resumes to jobs@petairways.com. No Phone Calls Please.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Turkish Airlines Hiring
Neelam Mathews/New Delhi mathews.neelam@gmail.com
Turkish Airlines intends to add 10 new routes to Istanbul in 2009, including Nairobi, Sao Paulo, Toronto and Dacca, India.
Starting in April, Chicago-Istanbul, presently three times a week, will be increased to a daily as Turkish is planning to use Chicago as its transfer hub in place of New York. "We are hopeful of holding talks in March, following which we hope to start four flights a week to Washington, D.C., CEO Temel Kotil told AviationWeek.
It has also increased frequencies to daily on flights to New Delhi and Mumbai, beginning today, up from three and four per week, respectively, and is beefing up service to Brussels, Venice, Helsinki, Basel, Dublin, Kuwait and Addis Ababa.
The launch of dailies to Mumbai and Delhi on new A330s, replacing the old A310s, will increase seats to India by 20%, Kotil said. "We are using all our bilateral rights to India, if there are more, we could use more."
Certain that "Istanbul will be a hub in 10 years," Kotil said, "More than half the passengers transit through Istanbul for Europe and Russia. It is almost like the ancient Silk Route which used to pass from Asia to Europe via Turkey."
THY had 109 aircraft flying to 144 destinations in 2008, and in 2009 it will fly 127 aircraft to 155 destinations. "Every year we grow by 15%," said Kotil. This year, we're hiring 1,400 cabin attendants and 300 captains." There are savings for the carrier as newcomers come cheaper in tough financial times.
Looking at increasing his transit passenger base from 42% of total passengers to 50%, Kotil says Turkish has not reduced its quality, but with competitive fares and a tight expenditure policy, his carrier is now looking at making a decision by March for 105 aircraft (85 plus 20 options). Of these, 35 will be widebodies.
Photo credit for Turkish Airlines A330: Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines intends to add 10 new routes to Istanbul in 2009, including Nairobi, Sao Paulo, Toronto and Dacca, India.
Starting in April, Chicago-Istanbul, presently three times a week, will be increased to a daily as Turkish is planning to use Chicago as its transfer hub in place of New York. "We are hopeful of holding talks in March, following which we hope to start four flights a week to Washington, D.C., CEO Temel Kotil told AviationWeek.
It has also increased frequencies to daily on flights to New Delhi and Mumbai, beginning today, up from three and four per week, respectively, and is beefing up service to Brussels, Venice, Helsinki, Basel, Dublin, Kuwait and Addis Ababa.
The launch of dailies to Mumbai and Delhi on new A330s, replacing the old A310s, will increase seats to India by 20%, Kotil said. "We are using all our bilateral rights to India, if there are more, we could use more."
Certain that "Istanbul will be a hub in 10 years," Kotil said, "More than half the passengers transit through Istanbul for Europe and Russia. It is almost like the ancient Silk Route which used to pass from Asia to Europe via Turkey."
THY had 109 aircraft flying to 144 destinations in 2008, and in 2009 it will fly 127 aircraft to 155 destinations. "Every year we grow by 15%," said Kotil. This year, we're hiring 1,400 cabin attendants and 300 captains." There are savings for the carrier as newcomers come cheaper in tough financial times.
Looking at increasing his transit passenger base from 42% of total passengers to 50%, Kotil says Turkish has not reduced its quality, but with competitive fares and a tight expenditure policy, his carrier is now looking at making a decision by March for 105 aircraft (85 plus 20 options). Of these, 35 will be widebodies.
Photo credit for Turkish Airlines A330: Turkish Airlines
Sunday, February 1, 2009
US Airways ditching
The crew was amazing!
By landing successfully on water, the captain "achieved one of the rarest and most technically challenging feats in commercial aviation,“ A board member of the NTSB stated that it "has to go down as the most successful ditching in aviation history."
With all the training we get throughout the years it is so nice to know none of it is in vain. It does work and this crew did a wonderful job. Praise and kudos to them!
By landing successfully on water, the captain "achieved one of the rarest and most technically challenging feats in commercial aviation,“ A board member of the NTSB stated that it "has to go down as the most successful ditching in aviation history."
With all the training we get throughout the years it is so nice to know none of it is in vain. It does work and this crew did a wonderful job. Praise and kudos to them!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Galley Gossip: Just a few things a flight attendant doesn't want to hear
Galley Gossip: Just a few things a flight attendant doesn't want to hear
by Heather Poole Jan 26th 2009 @ 9:30AM
1. BRACE! - I'll bet you there wasn't a flight attendant in the world who did not open their flight manual and review the ditching procedures right after seeing what an amazing job the US Airways crew did evacuating a flight after landing in the Hudson River. On my last flight from New York to Chicago, out of La Guardia, you better believe I felt for my life vest under my jumpseat and did a quick 30 second review of our emergency evacuation procedures before take-off. While I know what I have to do, do you know you should do when the flight crew yells BRACE!
2. QUICK, I NEED A BARF BAG! - The last time I heard these dreaded words I happened to be standing in the first class galley. A passenger from coach came running all the way up the aisle and proceeded to throw up all over the lead flight attendant who was holding an open plastic bag, two commuting flight attendants sitting on the jumpseat, the cockpit door, the first class galley counter, and all over the linoleum floor. The sick woman pretty much made a semi-circle from the entry door to the coffee pots, hitting everything in sight - except for me, thank God. I felt really bad for her. I felt even worse for the other flight attendants. But it was Chris, a fellow coworker, who got the worst of it. When he bent over to clean up the vomit with a little shovel and crystals that turn barf into a foamy gel, his cell phone fell out of his starched shirt pocket and smack dab into the mess.
3. I PROBABLY FLY MORE THAN YOU DO - That's the phrase that bothers my friend Anthony, a flight attendant for a foreign carrier, the most. It's what usually follows next that bothers me - I'M A (insert frequent flier status here)! Even so, that doesn't give you the right to do whatever it was you were doing that you were asked to stop doing, something you already know you shouldn't be doing, given the miles you've flown. Now turn it off and put it away.
4. CAN I HAVE A GLASS OF WATER - SO I CAN TAKE A PILL Passengers don't realize how quickly airplanes are turned around. Before I even have a chance to stow my crew bags and check the emergency equipment to make that it's there and working, passengers are already making their way down the aisle to their seats. Boarding is by far the busiest time for a flight attendant. Half the time we haven't even had a chance to set up the galley when passengers, five seconds after walking aboard the airplane, come running to the back of the aircraft to ask for "pill water." Which is why we sometimes look a little flustered by the request.
5. SO DOES THAT MEAN THE ALCOHOL IS FREE? Whenever an announcement is made that there's going to be a delay, nine times out of ten a passenger (or four) will ask if the alcohol is free, and freak out when it's not free, because when it rains or snows or the airplane has a mechanical, free alcohol is always the solution. I mean who doesn't want to get trapped in a flying tube for hours on end with a bunch of drunk passengers?
6. YOU'RE HOLDING US HOSTAGE! Luckily the only passenger I've ever heard use this phrase was celebrity passenger who is known for her magazine and television show. She made this announcement years ago in the first class galley after sitting on the tarmac in New York for over an hour due to icy weather conditions at the airport. We were flying to Bermuda. After the crew explained that we could not go back to the gate and lose our spot for take-off just for her she eventually sat back down and surprisingly did not say another word. My coworker Florence, who found herself with a three hour air traffic control hold in Chicago on a full Super80 flight with hysterical passengers - two who were claustrophobic and one who kept threatening to sue because the airline was holding him hostage, announced, 'And how do you think I feel?" My sentiments exactly. No one likes a delay, including flight attendants.
7. ARE THERE ANY FIRST CLASS SEATS AVAILABLE? Recently a woman asked me this question on a flight from New York to San Francisco because her headsets didn't work at her seat and she refused to move to another aisle seat in coach unless her husband could sit right beside her. The flight was full. Trust me when I tell you that if you feel the need to ask this question, the answer is no. Flight attendants do not upgrade passengers. Gate agents are the only ones with upgrading power, so those are the people you need to schmooze. But keep in mind that not only is there a standby list for those oh-so-precious premium seats, and each and every passenger on that list knows exactly where their name is on the list, there are very strict rules about moving passengers from coach to first class when there are seats available.
8. CAN YOU HELP ME GET MY BAG IN THE OVERHEAD BIN? For those of you who follow my blog, this question was addressed in my post, flight attendant pet peeve #3: you want me to do what? Simply put, unless you are an unaccompanied minor, elderly or handicapped and your bag is not too heavy, I will not put the bag in the bin. What I will do is help you find a place for the bag. I may assist you in getting the bag inside the bin, but the key word here is assist, people, as in team effort, because I will not do it for you.
9. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S NO FOOD / WE HAVE TO PAY FOR FOOD / YOU RAN OUT OF MY PREFERRED FOOD CHOICE? Exactly that - there's no food, you have to pay for food, or we ran out of your preferred food choice - nothing more. It's not personal. It's business. So whatever you do, please don't get mad at me, I'm just the messenger. Trust me when I tell you that flight attendants dread passing this message along to you. We already know how you're going to respond. So just where did the service go? Unfortunately it disappeared along with those high ticket prices, which is why we're now all stuck inside the flying metal tube together. Can't we all just get along, regardless of the food situation?
10. ON MY LAST FLIGHT... These four little words are just the beginning of what I like to call "the bad response," which is the response I often get whenever I tell someone what I do for a living. Ya see these four oh-so-innocent words will now be followed by a pause, which will then be accompanied by a weird look, which of course leads to a very bad story about their last flight. Needless to say, the conversation usually doesn't go so well after this. How can it? I've now been linked to the worst flight this person has ever had.
11. (From creepy pilot) ANYONE WANT A BACK RUB? Uh - no! I don't think so. Now here's your coffee. Get back in the cockpit and stay there! This question came from my favorite pilot, Bob, the singing pilot, who is so not creepy at all, even though he did write a song about me - Lay across your jump seat, Heather.
12. HERE, TAKE THIS DIAPER? I'll take the diaper, but only if you'll work the beverage cart. Seriously, the last thing I want to touch is a dirty diaper (or crumpled snot rag) when I serve people food and drinks for a living. It's just not sanitary to do such a thing. Look, I have a two year-old who travels often, so I know how it is, I know it's not easy, but you're going to have to keep the diaper at your seat until the aisle is clear and you can dispose of it properly in the lavatory trash receptacle.
13. WHEN DO WE GET THERE (During boarding) As I stand in the aisle and stare blankly at my watch, I'm trying to remember where we are right now, because I've been to several cities already, and where are we going again? Oh yeah, now I'll just add the flying time, subtract the time change, and while I'm doing this passengers are flagging me down for "pill water" and asking me to help stow their bags. "Don't they know what time they land when they buy their ticket?" asked Lynne, a fellow coworker. "Honestly, flight attendants only know what time they have to report to the airplane." Sad, but true.
14. CAN YOU BREAK A $100? Uh-no! Which is exactly why you're asking. Whenever somebody asks me to break a large bill, I make it a point to find the change, even if I have to go through the cabin begging each and every passenger to help me out. Usually passengers who carry big bills are trying to score a free headset, drink, or snack. Oh I know exactly what they're doing. And don't ask me for change every five seconds in flight, either. I don't have it. I'll get it to you as soon as possible. I'm not going anywhere. I promise!
15. WHERE ARE WE? On the airplane. Honestly, I don't know where we are when I'm working a flight. I don't have a chance to sit and stare out the window. What I do know is that we're not there yet and the man in 24B would like a diet coke and his wife would like a glass of water - no ice, and that there are at least 50 more passengers behind you left to serve, before we pull the cart back up to the front of the aircraft and throw it all away. Please don't make me walk all the way to the back of the aircraft, not when I'm in the middle of the service, just to call the cockpit and find out where we are - approximately, because we won't be there for long and you know you're going to ask me again, because we're still not there yet.
Other tales from the skies
Amazing and insane stories from a real-life flight attendant and co-pilot
by Heather Poole Jan 26th 2009 @ 9:30AM
1. BRACE! - I'll bet you there wasn't a flight attendant in the world who did not open their flight manual and review the ditching procedures right after seeing what an amazing job the US Airways crew did evacuating a flight after landing in the Hudson River. On my last flight from New York to Chicago, out of La Guardia, you better believe I felt for my life vest under my jumpseat and did a quick 30 second review of our emergency evacuation procedures before take-off. While I know what I have to do, do you know you should do when the flight crew yells BRACE!
2. QUICK, I NEED A BARF BAG! - The last time I heard these dreaded words I happened to be standing in the first class galley. A passenger from coach came running all the way up the aisle and proceeded to throw up all over the lead flight attendant who was holding an open plastic bag, two commuting flight attendants sitting on the jumpseat, the cockpit door, the first class galley counter, and all over the linoleum floor. The sick woman pretty much made a semi-circle from the entry door to the coffee pots, hitting everything in sight - except for me, thank God. I felt really bad for her. I felt even worse for the other flight attendants. But it was Chris, a fellow coworker, who got the worst of it. When he bent over to clean up the vomit with a little shovel and crystals that turn barf into a foamy gel, his cell phone fell out of his starched shirt pocket and smack dab into the mess.
3. I PROBABLY FLY MORE THAN YOU DO - That's the phrase that bothers my friend Anthony, a flight attendant for a foreign carrier, the most. It's what usually follows next that bothers me - I'M A (insert frequent flier status here)! Even so, that doesn't give you the right to do whatever it was you were doing that you were asked to stop doing, something you already know you shouldn't be doing, given the miles you've flown. Now turn it off and put it away.
4. CAN I HAVE A GLASS OF WATER - SO I CAN TAKE A PILL Passengers don't realize how quickly airplanes are turned around. Before I even have a chance to stow my crew bags and check the emergency equipment to make that it's there and working, passengers are already making their way down the aisle to their seats. Boarding is by far the busiest time for a flight attendant. Half the time we haven't even had a chance to set up the galley when passengers, five seconds after walking aboard the airplane, come running to the back of the aircraft to ask for "pill water." Which is why we sometimes look a little flustered by the request.
5. SO DOES THAT MEAN THE ALCOHOL IS FREE? Whenever an announcement is made that there's going to be a delay, nine times out of ten a passenger (or four) will ask if the alcohol is free, and freak out when it's not free, because when it rains or snows or the airplane has a mechanical, free alcohol is always the solution. I mean who doesn't want to get trapped in a flying tube for hours on end with a bunch of drunk passengers?
6. YOU'RE HOLDING US HOSTAGE! Luckily the only passenger I've ever heard use this phrase was celebrity passenger who is known for her magazine and television show. She made this announcement years ago in the first class galley after sitting on the tarmac in New York for over an hour due to icy weather conditions at the airport. We were flying to Bermuda. After the crew explained that we could not go back to the gate and lose our spot for take-off just for her she eventually sat back down and surprisingly did not say another word. My coworker Florence, who found herself with a three hour air traffic control hold in Chicago on a full Super80 flight with hysterical passengers - two who were claustrophobic and one who kept threatening to sue because the airline was holding him hostage, announced, 'And how do you think I feel?" My sentiments exactly. No one likes a delay, including flight attendants.
7. ARE THERE ANY FIRST CLASS SEATS AVAILABLE? Recently a woman asked me this question on a flight from New York to San Francisco because her headsets didn't work at her seat and she refused to move to another aisle seat in coach unless her husband could sit right beside her. The flight was full. Trust me when I tell you that if you feel the need to ask this question, the answer is no. Flight attendants do not upgrade passengers. Gate agents are the only ones with upgrading power, so those are the people you need to schmooze. But keep in mind that not only is there a standby list for those oh-so-precious premium seats, and each and every passenger on that list knows exactly where their name is on the list, there are very strict rules about moving passengers from coach to first class when there are seats available.
8. CAN YOU HELP ME GET MY BAG IN THE OVERHEAD BIN? For those of you who follow my blog, this question was addressed in my post, flight attendant pet peeve #3: you want me to do what? Simply put, unless you are an unaccompanied minor, elderly or handicapped and your bag is not too heavy, I will not put the bag in the bin. What I will do is help you find a place for the bag. I may assist you in getting the bag inside the bin, but the key word here is assist, people, as in team effort, because I will not do it for you.
9. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S NO FOOD / WE HAVE TO PAY FOR FOOD / YOU RAN OUT OF MY PREFERRED FOOD CHOICE? Exactly that - there's no food, you have to pay for food, or we ran out of your preferred food choice - nothing more. It's not personal. It's business. So whatever you do, please don't get mad at me, I'm just the messenger. Trust me when I tell you that flight attendants dread passing this message along to you. We already know how you're going to respond. So just where did the service go? Unfortunately it disappeared along with those high ticket prices, which is why we're now all stuck inside the flying metal tube together. Can't we all just get along, regardless of the food situation?
10. ON MY LAST FLIGHT... These four little words are just the beginning of what I like to call "the bad response," which is the response I often get whenever I tell someone what I do for a living. Ya see these four oh-so-innocent words will now be followed by a pause, which will then be accompanied by a weird look, which of course leads to a very bad story about their last flight. Needless to say, the conversation usually doesn't go so well after this. How can it? I've now been linked to the worst flight this person has ever had.
11. (From creepy pilot) ANYONE WANT A BACK RUB? Uh - no! I don't think so. Now here's your coffee. Get back in the cockpit and stay there! This question came from my favorite pilot, Bob, the singing pilot, who is so not creepy at all, even though he did write a song about me - Lay across your jump seat, Heather.
12. HERE, TAKE THIS DIAPER? I'll take the diaper, but only if you'll work the beverage cart. Seriously, the last thing I want to touch is a dirty diaper (or crumpled snot rag) when I serve people food and drinks for a living. It's just not sanitary to do such a thing. Look, I have a two year-old who travels often, so I know how it is, I know it's not easy, but you're going to have to keep the diaper at your seat until the aisle is clear and you can dispose of it properly in the lavatory trash receptacle.
13. WHEN DO WE GET THERE (During boarding) As I stand in the aisle and stare blankly at my watch, I'm trying to remember where we are right now, because I've been to several cities already, and where are we going again? Oh yeah, now I'll just add the flying time, subtract the time change, and while I'm doing this passengers are flagging me down for "pill water" and asking me to help stow their bags. "Don't they know what time they land when they buy their ticket?" asked Lynne, a fellow coworker. "Honestly, flight attendants only know what time they have to report to the airplane." Sad, but true.
14. CAN YOU BREAK A $100? Uh-no! Which is exactly why you're asking. Whenever somebody asks me to break a large bill, I make it a point to find the change, even if I have to go through the cabin begging each and every passenger to help me out. Usually passengers who carry big bills are trying to score a free headset, drink, or snack. Oh I know exactly what they're doing. And don't ask me for change every five seconds in flight, either. I don't have it. I'll get it to you as soon as possible. I'm not going anywhere. I promise!
15. WHERE ARE WE? On the airplane. Honestly, I don't know where we are when I'm working a flight. I don't have a chance to sit and stare out the window. What I do know is that we're not there yet and the man in 24B would like a diet coke and his wife would like a glass of water - no ice, and that there are at least 50 more passengers behind you left to serve, before we pull the cart back up to the front of the aircraft and throw it all away. Please don't make me walk all the way to the back of the aircraft, not when I'm in the middle of the service, just to call the cockpit and find out where we are - approximately, because we won't be there for long and you know you're going to ask me again, because we're still not there yet.
Other tales from the skies
Amazing and insane stories from a real-life flight attendant and co-pilot
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Air Trans Hiring Flight Attendants
The Atlanta Business Journal wrote:
"AirTran, which has its largest hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and has all its pilots based in Atlanta, said it also asked the 300 flight attendants on leave to return to work.
Late spring and summer traditionally are an airline's busiest seasons, but the carrier will not be growing its network compared to the same period last year.
“It is a bright spot in the middle of an economic downturn,” he said.
Attrition and other factors necessitated the airline also hire 120 new flight attendants. Additional attendants might be hired if all the attendants currently on leave do not return."
This is great news since most carriers are cutting back.
"AirTran, which has its largest hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and has all its pilots based in Atlanta, said it also asked the 300 flight attendants on leave to return to work.
Late spring and summer traditionally are an airline's busiest seasons, but the carrier will not be growing its network compared to the same period last year.
“It is a bright spot in the middle of an economic downturn,” he said.
Attrition and other factors necessitated the airline also hire 120 new flight attendants. Additional attendants might be hired if all the attendants currently on leave do not return."
This is great news since most carriers are cutting back.
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