Can you bring your family with you as a flight attendant?
There are travel perks to most cabin crew jobs which means that you will get to take your family on trips that will be the envy of their school friends. It may even ignite a passion for travelling in them, and lead them to all sorts of adventures when they are older.
I work for a major US airline and have worked with quite a few single parents. That said, being a flight attendant requires an unpredictable schedule, especially when you're just starting out. You will need to arrange your own childcare for the times you're away from home, which is often days at a time.
Depending on the airline company, flight benefits may extend to a flight attendant's family. Some companies allow parents or children to fly for free, but this benefit most typically applies to spouses and applies to trips outside of work. Some airlines also provide additional free flights in the form of buddy passes.
Two-day trip: For these flights, attendants complete one leg, or flight, in one day, have a layover, then return the following day. Most airlines complete three flights per day with layovers anywhere from 10 to 24 hours long, though longer layovers may extend into a three-day stay.
By the '60s, many airlines would allow air hostesses to be married — if they started the job while single — mainly because there was a stewardess shortage. Still, bias remained. In 1965, United Airlines district sales manager Hugh Flynn said, “The job simply would not be compatible with married life.
At 21 years old, you can apply to be a flight attendant with any airline. Minimum age requirements typically apply at the time of training completion, so candidates who will reach an airline's minimum age during training can apply for flight attendant roles.
While the average flight attendant can expect to earn around $60,000 annually, most flight attendants are paid hourly based on the amount of time in the air.
Certain previous convictions such as crimes involving an aircraft or any violent crime, felony or time spent in jail would prevent you from being able to work as a Flight Attendant.
Or do they age more quickly, since they're subject to less gravity? Scientists have done the math, and it turns out that frequent fliers actually age the tiniest bit more quickly than people with both feet on the ground. But not to worry, the difference is so small, you don't have to worry about extra wrinkles.
Unlike most traditional jobs, flight attendant positions do not necessarily require you to relocate. Many senior flight attendants live where they want and commute by air to and from each trip freely.
Can a spouse travel with a flight attendant?
You will travel together
Most of us flight attendants and pilots have taken our partners on a layover at some point. On my last trip, the husband of the lady I was working with came with us on all 3 flights we worked that day and stayed with her on our layover. You two can take a random trip any weekend.
"Flight attendants have the authority to move people around and the flight attendant can ask someone," she says, emphasizing that seat trades should always be "equal."
How long is a typical flight attendant layover? A typical flight attendant layover is 24 hours. This allows the cabin crew ample time to rest and explore the destination before their next flight. However, please be advised that there are some cases wherein layovers are less than 24 hours.
Work Schedules
They may spend several nights per week or per month away from home. In most cases, a contract between the airline and the flight attendant union determines the total daily and monthly workable hours. On-duty shifts per day may vary from 4 to 18 hours or longer, such as for international flights.
The number of flights will vary based on the trip assigned. However, as an Endeavor flight attendant, you can expect to fly from one to six flights in a day.
Female flight attendants are most likely to marry male managers or female flight attendants. Male flight attendants are most likely to marry female flight attendants or male elementary- and middle-school teachers.
Originally female flight attendants were required to be single upon hiring, and were fired if they got married, exceeded weight regulations, or reached age 32 or 35 depending on the airline.
Flight attendants
“Flight attendants are away often, meet many potential [affair] candidates, and don't make time for their spouse" due to their travel schedule, says Saunders, who adds that it's not unusual for flight attendants to have affairs with other crew members.
Flight attendants have no set weight requirements, as body types can vary even if two people are the same height and weight. It's impossible to give a size or weight for the jumpseat because some harnesses are smaller than others, and people carry weight differently.
There aren't specific weight requirements for Flight Attendants – many airlines will check to see that the prospective Cabin Crew are in proportion, they look a healthy weight and that they will be able to fit in the Cabin Crew Uniform.
Is it hard to be a flight attendant?
Is it hard to become a flight attendant? Yes, the process of becoming a flight attendant is challenging. There are up to 1.5 million job applications for 5,000 to 10,000 jobs hiring. It's very competitive and the training process is long, sometimes taking up to 3 to 6 months for the entire process.
Training days
It is a stressful time, and has to be, because flight attendants may have to deal with an emergency and must be calm and focused in such an event. Not everyone survives training as some people realize it's not the job for them or they don't make the grade.
You'll be trying to decide if your flight attendant is actually a secret multi-millionaire. In 2013, a former flight attendant passed away at age 93. She had no family and she lived simply, in a rowhouse formerly owned by her parents. Her name was Doris Schwartz, and as it turned out, she was rich.
Flight attendants are only paid for their flight time. This means they are not compensated when they are walking through the airport to get to a gate or waiting for the aircraft to arrive.
Once hired, new Flight Attendants must go through their airline's specific training for certification. Sadly, 30-40% of new hires fail this airline training before ever making it to the tarmac. The GOOD news? 90+% of our graduates pass their airline training and receive their wings.
Flight attendants often work at night, travel across time zones, and experience jet lag. While flying, they are also exposed to radiation from space. These conditions have raised concerns that flight attendants may have a higher risk of certain cancers.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has strict drug and alcohol regulations. But your airline might have their own policies that you will have to follow too. All applicants must pass a pre-employment drug test and employees will have to take random Department of Transportation (DOT) drug screenings.
One of the biggest issues is fatigue due to long hours away from home during certain times of the year such as holidays or peak travel periods when more flights are available. Another problem that can arise is dealing with unhappy or unruly passengers, which can make a flight attendant's job much more stressful.
New flight attendants typically receive paid training after being hired by an airline, but flight attendant training schools do exist and some choose to pay for their own training before seeking a job. Training programs can take up to eight weeks to complete.
Many flight attendants live together in large apartments or houses called "crash pads" located very close to the airport in the particular city where their airline's regional hub is located.
What is a flight attendants schedule like?
A typical schedule of flight attendants deviates from the popular “9 to 5” schedules. They can run for over 12 hours depending on the nature of the route and the airline's requirements. However, there are two general schedules, a reserve schedule, and a line holder schedule.
Do I need to live on base? You do not need to live on base. Flight Attendants can live anywhere in the world, provided they can get to base for the start of their shift. CommuteAir pays for parking.
Employee engagement and travel
Employees have free, unlimited travel privileges for themselves and eligible dependents on Southwest Airlines. Eligible dependents include spouse or committed/registered partner, eligible dependent children under 19 years old (or up to 24 if a full-time student), and parents.
Due to the nature of the job it is totally possible! And whilst some people may want that, the majority of Flight Attendants are just like anybody else, and all they want is to meet their soulmate, their other half – someone to share their life with and have a loving, honest relationship.
Uniformed crewmembers are allowed exemptions by the TSA when they are screened at KCM access points and passenger screening checkpoints. With the change of the uniform requirement, these exemptions at the KCM access point and at the passenger screening checkpoint will be permitted in accordance with the following: a.
Flight Attendants and Pilots Do Share the Same Hotel, But Do Not Share a Room. The cabin crew team and pilots normally take a company-hired bus to reach their hotel and the team check-in separately. They sleep together in the same hotel, but they have their own separate rooms, and they usually don't share.
So, yes, the flight attendants know which seats in business (or first) class are supposed to be empty, and if someone is found in one, they'll be asked to move... (and if you're on a US-based carrier, it might be a little stronger than just a request!)
1. A Flight Attendant may be granted a personal leave of absence without pay for a period not to exceed one hundred and eighty (180) days. Requests for personal leave and mutually agreed upon start and end dates shall be in writing.
Time away from your kids also means there will be plenty of time when you are there for them. You may miss some school pick-ups or parents evenings, but chances are you will be around for a lot more of the day to day of your child's life than someone with a 9-5 job might.
Crew require a minimum of three hours rest when the flight duty period exceeds 14 hours (from when crew 'sign on' to 15 minutes after engines off). For flight duty periods longer than 18 hours, 4.5 hours bunk rest is required. The crew take turns for rest breaks.
What do flight attendants do after landing?
Upon landing, they will help passengers disembark and will prepare the cabin for the next flight if it's a turnaround flight. For layover flights, they will disembark soon after passengers disembark, once they have completed their post-landing duties.
If your employer schedules you for an eight hour rest period, your next rest period must be at least 10 consecutive hours and must begin no later than 24 hours after the beginning of the eight hour rest period.
Flight attendant shifts can still last up to 14 hours.
To get a position with an airline, potential flight attendants must interview for the job, pass a medical exam, and work their way through a rigorous schedule of instruction and performance reviews.
You will travel together
(if you are married, your spouse will automatically be on your benefits) This means so many more adventures and memories for you and your partner. Most of us flight attendants and pilots have taken our partners on a layover at some point.
On short-haul flights, the flight attendants will be different every day. On long-haul trips, the flight attendants stay together the whole trip. Rarely do they work with the same people again; for example, in a five-year period, they may work with the same colleague two or three times.
Flight Attendants can live anywhere in the world, provided they can get to base for the start of their shift. CommuteAir pays for parking. Commuting By Plane: You can commute by plane for free on United, however, you will fly STANDBY. This means you are NOT GUARANTEED a seat and risk being late for your shift.
Many airlines say that crew must live within 45 minutes to 90 minutes traveling time of their base. This is due to 'standby' duties, where cabin crew are called out last minute to operate a flight where someone has gone sick or is late for duty.
How Much Does a Flight Attendant Make? Flight Attendants made a median salary of $61,640 in 2021. The best-paid 25% made $76,920 that year, while the lowest-paid 25% made $48,780.
Flight attendant side hustles are not uncommon at all stages of the flight attendant career. The flight attendant job is so flexible that you can have a business or second job while you are working as a full time flight attendant.
When could flight attendants not be married or have children?
Young, beautiful and not married
Also, a marriage could mean disqualification for a young 'stewardess' candidate. Even though the 'no-marriage' rule was slightly relaxed in 1957, most airlines still required female flight attendants to be single and, of course, not pregnant.
They often work nights, weekends, and holidays because airlines operate every day and have overnight flights. They may spend several nights per week or per month away from home. In most cases, a contract between the airline and the flight attendant union determines the total daily and monthly workable hours.
How long is a typical flight attendant layover? A typical flight attendant layover is 24 hours. This allows the cabin crew ample time to rest and explore the destination before their next flight. However, please be advised that there are some cases wherein layovers are less than 24 hours.
| Rank | State | Entry Level Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $43,290 |
| 2 | Florida | $41,040 |
| 3 | Oregon | $44,510 |
| 4 | Texas | $30,450 |
It's difficult and can take a long time. Airlines can take 3-6 months to get through the hiring process, that's if your resume makes it through the first cut. Intense Competition. We estimate there are 1 – 1.5 million flight attendant applications for 5,000 – 10,000 jobs.
The number of flights will vary based on the trip assigned. However, as an Endeavor flight attendant, you can expect to fly from one to six flights in a day.
Typically, flight attendants work 12 to 14 days and log 65 to 85 flight hours on average each month, not including overtime. Flight attendants are only paid once the boarding doors are closed. There are two types of flight attendant schedules, reserve schedules, and fine holder schedules.
Flight attendant
As flight attendants typically work flexible schedules, the position can be full-time or part-time.
1. A Flight Attendant may be granted a personal leave of absence without pay for a period not to exceed one hundred and eighty (180) days.