The Flight Attendant Starter Pack
YES, finally the airlines are hiring again! The start of the pandemic the airline industry took a huge hit and many feared recovery would be long and hard, but people are catching more flights and less feeling than I’ve seen in my 6 years of flying. The airline industry as a whole still has a way to go to pre -pandemic numbers. I believe that the recovery is happening much faster than anticipated, and with that being said… The hiring process returns! So, you want to become a flight attendant? Take this as your sign— NOW is the time to apply! In my previous blog I discussed the pros and cons of the job. In this blog I will expand on those topics and provide some tips on the interview and training process!
Application Process
The application process is pretty straightforward. You must be 21 years old and able to pass a background check. A college degree is not required, but preferred. A solid background in customer service is most important. There are so many great resources available to help prepare you for the interview process . Its also be a huge plus if you have experience in a safety related position. I would recommend Youtube, other flight attendant bloggers, Pinterest and Facebook groups such as Hopeful United Airlines Flight Attendants .
Interview Process
The interview process probably has changed a bit since I started in 2015, but it begins with a video interview where you are asked 4-5 questions that you will record yourself answering. I would recommend researching these questions on Glassdoor to get the most recent format. The best way to prepare for this interview is to practice, practice, practice your answers. Make sure in your answers you are providing clear examples to the questions, and the solutions you provided. Pro Tip: Do not say you want to be a flight attendant because you love/want to travel. That’s obvious! Think outside the box.
Face to Face Interview
Once you get the invitation for the face to face interview the company will fly you to a base location for an in-person interview. In this interview it is very important to dress the part. When I say dress the part I mean full on: hair pinned up, skirt and blazer, red lip, pearls, etc. When the hiring manager sees you they should immediately be able to envision you in the flight attendant uniform embodying the brand. This interview will start out as a group interview and then branch off to a one on one. However due to COVID some of these elements may be different. My advice for the face to face interview process is to do your research on the company. Know the values and vision of the company and be able to provide evidence on how you would be an asset. Customer service is a huge part of the job so It’s important to be able to answer the questions with real experiences. Everyone will look the part, but what is going to set you apart? Be yourself and be genuine.
First time as a career day speaker
Getting the Job
When I found out I got the job I was giving a list of dates to start training, A new training class starts every Monday and the classes fill up fast. The sooner you can start the better because seniority is everything in this industry.
Infamous Vegas layover mirror pic
Training
Training for United Airlines is held in Houston, Tx. They will fly you to Houston for a 6-7 week long training. You will have in class training for 6 days a week. The company will provide you with a hotel where you will have a roommate, and let me tell you…training is INTENSE. You will learn the ins and outs of every aircraft, how to evacuate a plane in water and land, how to provide emergency care onboard, and how to provide a 5-star international first-class dining experience. Most of the training consist heavily on evacuations and emergency situations. Oh, and you can’t score anything less than an 80 on a test or quiz. My advice for getting through training is to make friends and form study groups. There’s no competition, you all are there for the same reason so your classmates will be your life line and probably future roommates. In the first weeks of training you will either be assigned a base or given a chance to pick your first, second and third choice. It is all based on operational need as to how many people are sent to a base. When I started training my entire class was sent to New York where we were responsible for operating flights out of JFK, LGA and EWR. You have to be prepared and willing to pick up and move, or commute to your assigned base. Remember, in your application you said you were willing to relocate —right? United’s major base locations are ORD, IAH, DEN, LAX, SFO, IAD/DCA, EWR/LGA/JFK, and BOS. After graduating from the training program you are given a week before your base orientation. This is the time where you pretty much gather your life back home and prepare for the life changing, scary and exciting journey; and if your experience is anything like mines, convince your mom you can make it on your own in New York.
Training class picture day & Graduation Ceremony
Commuting
Many flight attendants do not live in the base location in which they work in which means they commute to work. Commuting is rough and it adds another layer of stress to the job. You will essentially have to fly standby hours before your trip checks in or the night before. Factor in delays, mechanical and weather issues and it can be a nightmare. However, many flights attendants make it work every day. I know flight attendants who commute from London to New York for work. The first six months on the job is a probationary period so commuting is discouraged because of possibility of missing a trip. However, there are what the airline industry calls crash pads. Crash pads are usually houses or apartments own/ managed by crew members that flight attendants will use in-between flights. They are typically set up as bunk beds or multiple beds set up in a room. They are used as a place to rest in the event you cannot make your commuting flight home or you are in between flights. They range in price from $200-400 and are set up as either hot beds or cold beds. For more information on the commuter life I recommend checking out YouTube videos of flight attendant vloggers. That way you can see what the crash pad life actually looks like and get a more in-depth look into the hot and cold bed setup.
Flying standby woes
Schedule
Now for the hard part RESERVE LIFE. Every airline runs their reserve system different so be sure to research the reserve system for the airline you are applying to. At United reserve depends on your base, seniority and operational needs. Basically, you are on reserve until you have the seniority to “hold a line” at your base. For example, I have been a flight attendant for 6 years. The first year I held a line after a couple months as a JFK based flight attendant; currently as a IAH based flight attendant I have been on reserve for pretty much a consecutive 3 years. I could transfer to another base to hold a line and have set schedule but I chose to live in my base location and not commute.
In summary, your schedule will depend solely on your base location. Being on reserve means that you will bid every month for the days you want to be on call and the days you want off. Once again, this schedule is awarded based on seniority. To make it plain, you can kiss having the holidays off goodbye; but hey who knows, you could score a Hawaii layover on Christmas day sipping Mai Tai’s by the beach getting extra holiday pay. Holding a line means that you bid for the trips you want to work. So, you will know where you’re going and which days you will work for that month. As a line holder you will have the option to drop and trade trips. On reserve you will not always have that luxury. You are basically at the mercy of the company and they will assign trips based on availability.
Working on Christmas
Pay
Now for the real reason you are here… the pay! I will be honest in the beginning its rough and may require some sacrifices. Nevertheless, it does get better with each year on the job. Once again, I can’t speak for every airline, but at United you are given a raise up until your 13th year on the job and you are paid per flight hour. This job allows you to work as much or as little as you want. There is also extra pay given to international trips, purser and galley positions, and flight attendants who speak different languages etc. There are flight attendants who make six figures, flight attendants who are nurses, real estate agents, therapist and just use this as part time job; and flight attendants who only fly to Italy two times a month just to stock up on wine and cheese. Once you get used to the scheduling you are able to see what works for you.
If you made it to the end of this blog post I sincerely thank you and appreciate your support because this was a long one! I couldn’t fit all the information in this post so if you have any questions feel free to reach out in the comments or Instagram.
