by Kiki Ward
Customer service
The experience that will be of immense help to you in securing a flight attendant position is any type of customer service experience. This is what your recruiter wants to hear about, what you will repeatedly be asked about in your interview and what will sell your application or resume to an airline screener. The flight attendant career is about working with and assisting passengers. Passengers are in effect, customers. Airlines definitely look more favorably on an applicant who has had experience working with the public in some capacity than one who has not. I have worked with flight attendants who are highly educated and those who completed only high school, but the one thing we all have in common is that we genuinely enjoy being out in the public working with and assisting people. Simply stated, an applicant who has some experience working with the public in some capacity will probably have a better chance of being selected as a flight attendant than one who has not. Customer service work can be defined as any job or even volunteer work that has brought you into contact with the public. This can be from fast food work to a public relations position and just about everything in between. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have some customer service work in your work history. If you don’t, for instance if you have been a full time mom and are returning to fulfill your dream or if you have worked, but not necessarily in a customer service position or are right out of college, you still qualify as long as you have an effective understanding of customer service. Think about your own philosophies regarding good customer service and be prepared to translate those in your interviews. Height
The minimum guidelines at most airlines state that an applicant may be no less than 5’0 and no taller than 6’2. These requirements are general and each airline has in place its own set of height guidelines. Commuter or corporate airlines will often have in place lower height requirements due to the structurally smaller aircraft they operate. Some airlines will state a minimum height but no maximum height and vice versa. Some airlines do not state height requirements but rather require an applicant be able to reach a specified height in defined vertical inches. This reach height test is becoming an increasingly popular method of determining acceptable height and is being used at many major airlines. Some airlines will require an applicant to reach to the specified reach height on a wall and others will require the applicant reach into a mock overhead bin during the interview and retrieve a piece of emergency equipment. Minimum height requirements exist simply because emer gency equipment is stored in overhead bins aboard aircraft and flight attendants must be able to reach the equipment. Don’t become discouraged if one airline is more strict than another on the height issue. One of my readers was turned down at one major airline because of her height but went on to be hired at another major airline just a few weeks later! Overall health
A flight attendant applicant should be completely drug free and in excellent overall health. If you currently take prescription drugs due to conditional illness don’t disqualify yourself. Each applicant who is selected must undergo and successfully pass a full company physical and drug screening. Any conditional illness and current treatment can be discussed at this time and be taken under consideration by the airline physicians. As mandated by most federal governments, each airline conducts random drug/alcohol screenings for all working crewmembers.
Weight
Weight in proportion to height is now the general guideline at all U.S. airlines. Even as recently as a few years ago flight attendants were given very strict weight guidelines with very little consideration for pregnancy, aging or conditional illness. Airlines have become much more lenient regarding the weight issue and no longer work from a general weight to height chart. When I interviewed for a flight attendant position we were each weighed before being allowed to interview. Now a recruiter will simply visually assess your overall appearance to determine if your height and weight are in proportion. Airlines now allow flight attendants to look like real people, not an image. The abolition of weight policies has in effect opened the career even further. A groomed, polished applicant with confidence and enthusiasm will be the most appealing to a recruiter.
Appearance
Overall appearance is a factor in being hired a flight attendant but you do not have to be physically perfect, or even close. Airlines are simply looking for the applicant who projects a pleasing, well groomed appearance with weight in proportion to height. Vision
Corrected vision with contacts or eye glasses is permitted at all airlines. Many airlines do have in place a specific corrected vision requirement. Some airlines will also specify an uncorrected vision requirement or how poor an applicants vision can be without contacts or glasses. Vision requirements are safety related and very specific. They are however very basic in most cases so do not disqualify yourself if you wear contacts or glasses.
Age
This is absolutely the question I am asked more than all others. Airlines happily welcome applicants of all ages and the vast and varied experience they are able to bring to the job. You are just never too old to begin a flight attendant career.
Airlines do maintain a minimum age requirement, usually between eighteen to twenty years old. I’ve met and worked with thousands of flight attendants of all ages over the course of my flying career and it makes for an interesting and exciting group to be a part of and to learn from. Many flight attendants are hired just out of high school or college as I was and many have returned to the work force after years at home or simply switched careers mid-life to fulfill a life long dream or do something more exciting and flexible. Whichever category you fit into there is a place for you as a flight attendant! U.S. airlines will not discriminate against an applicant because of age and airlines are truly interested in hiring applicants of all ages. Of the many airline training graduations I have attended, I can tell you that the spectrum of ages is wide and diverse in graduating airline flight attendant classes.
Education
The basic educational requirement at all airlines is a high school diploma or equivalent. Afew airlines may require two years of college. Remember that your life experiences may count as well so don’t be hesitant to use them. Incorporating life experience into your application or resume can actually be a tremendous asset, particularly if your work history is limited. A life experience is something you have done or experienced that left you enriched or more knowl-edgable. When I applied to American Airlines I had attended two years of college and was twenty years old. Not a wealth of education or experience. But, I emphasized my work in a retail store, (customer service) a restaurant, (customer service) and as a camp counselor (requiring skills including motivation, diplomacy, problem solving.) You get the idea! Include experiences in your life that allowed you to be in contact with the public in any capacity. Include any other experiences that you feel are beneficial to your history no matter how trivial they may seem to you. The airline may see great potential in your life experiences! Language skills
Airlines are always interested in flight attendant applicants who are bilingual or multilingual. Some major airlines may even give preference to a bilingual applicant because of the huge international operations those airlines maintain. At U.S. airlines the ability to speak a second language is not a requirement, however there are some European and Canadian airlines that require an applicant to be bilingual. If you are able to speak a second or third language fluently be sure to emphasize that on your application or resume. As a bilingual applicant be prepared to undergo fluency testing both written and oral. At all U.S. airlines applicants must be fluent in written and spoken English. If you are not bilingual do not disqualify yourself from applying. There are just as many openings for flight attendant applicants unable to speak a second language. Also, many major airlines often endorse or offer language immersion programs which is a great way to learn a second language if you choose to later in your flying career. Citizenship
Flight attendant applicants applying to U.S. airlines must already have in place
the legal ability to work within the U.S. and to make multiple entries and exits to and from the U.S. Airlines do not make exception to this rule. If you are a non U.S. citizen who wishes to apply to a U.S. based airline, check with your local U.S. Embassy regarding obtaining the appropriate paperwork. All applicants must also have in place a valid social security number. Background
All applicants must successfully pass an extensive ten year background check. Any past violations, arrests or criminal activity will be discovered at this time. It is always in your best interest to be honest when applying. I have readers who worried over past minor arrests or violations and yet they were hired, so do not immediately eliminate yourself if you have a minor offense in your history.
Chapter three The inside story
The flight attendant career is definitely unique, especially on the inside where scheduling and planning are a synchronization flight attendants learn to know well. Once you become accustomed to the ever changing schedule it would be difficult to imagine working five days a week in the same place. Take off and landing become part of the work day and lunch and dinner on two different coasts seems normal! The flight attendant career is definitely full of new places, new faces and an exciting work environment and the many other inherent perks of the job are of great renown. The travel benefits afforded airline employees are truly incredible and only serve to further enhance the flight attendant profession. Part of what I have always found so attractive about the career is that often times a layover can be a mini vacation and the travel benefits make it easy to jet off on your days not working to explore anyplace in the world.
Crew Scheduling…please hold.
You may not laugh now but once you become a flight attendant you will find great humor in that line. You will also hear it… a lot. Crew scheduling is the group of men and women ensconced at the heart of the air-line nerve center, tracking crews and crewing airplanes twenty four hours a day year round. As a new hire flight attendant you will spend a lot of time on the phone with crew schedule while serving reserve. Nearly all airlines require that a new hire flight attendant serve some amount of reserve.
Reserve entails being on call twenty four hours a day for specified days each month. The reserve flight attendant also has in place a specified amount of days off each month. Reserves are used to cover trips that open up due to misconnections by other crews, for flight attendants who are unable to make their trips, for flight attendants who call in sick, etc..
Being on reserve often means being called out in the middle of the night for a departure or being given very little notice for a trip. It also means you must be available to the company around the clock on your specified duty days which necessitates a pager or cell phone.
Reserve time varies greatly at each airline and at each airline base. Many airlines are now moving on to a reserve rotation basis to allow flight attendants a break from reserve. On the rotation system a new hire flight attendant works a reserve schedule only three or four months out of the year and works a regular schedule the remaining months as opposed to being on reserve every month.
Some airlines require only a brief period of reserve and some airlines still have a very lengthy reserve month after month until the flight attendant is senior enough to bid for a regular schedule.
The more senior bases within the airline system generally have the longest reserve time whereas the more junior bases have the least reserve time. For example, at most major U.S. airlines, New York is a very junior base simply due to the fact that flight attendants transfer out quite often. Reserve in New York for most airlines is less than a year. Bases like Los Angeles, Dallas Fort/Worth or Atlanta often have the most senior flight attendants, making reserve longer for the newer flight attendants based there.
Reserve often becomes the nemesis of some flight attendants who dislike the uncertainty and inability to plan their day when on call. I tried to enjoy the excitement of reserve especially since I often was awarded trips that I would otherwise have been unable to fly due to low seniority. But reserve can really become tedious and tiring and so many airlines are putting into place or have already put in place updated reserve systems to make reserve much less painful. These new systems allow the reserve flight attendant to get their assignment well in advance of their actual trip or even the night before their assigned trip.
Reserve is a sort of rite of passage that we must all endure as new hire flight attendants. We have all been on reserve and we all have our stories to tell, and so will you.
It is definitely in your best interest to not ask about reserve at your airline interview other than to possibly inquire about the reserve system currently in place at the airline.
Schedule
The flight attendant schedule, especially that of a new hire flight attendant can be one of the most erratic imaginable. As mentioned, in the fast paced airline industry you must be flexible in order to be afforded flexibility. Every two or three days that you are away on a trip will normally be followed by two, three or more days at home. The days working are referred to as a trip or a sequence.
A trip is a company built sequence of flights, legs or segments between specified cities lasting anywhere between one to four days or more. These trips depart and return according to the airline schedule. Airline scheduling departments crew airplanes for hundreds of trips departing every minute of the day around the world. As a flight attendant you will generally be required to report to the airport for duty at least one hour in advance of your departure in order to complete pre-departure duties.
These duties include checking in via computer or telephone with crew schedule so they can ensure the entire crew is in place, checking company sent mail and personal mail, printing information about your trip and the completion of other preflight duties. All of these preflight duties are completed in a highly secure company operational area set up for flight crews only.
These operational areas at major airlines are quite large with many computers, personal mailboxes, televisions, comfortable seating, grooming areas, supervisory offices, supply areas and more.
Once you have checked in for a flight you would then proceed to your airplane to meet your fellow crewmembers and begin your trip. Although each trip is different, a typical three day major airline sequence follows.
DFW0645 IAH 0737 IAH 0844 DFW0957 DFW1050 LGA1510 Layover
LGA0715 DFW1015 DFW1245 PBI 1514 Layover
PBI 0816 DFW1013 DFW 1245 OKC 1351 OKC 1425 DFW 1545 Trip ends
Remember, this is only one of thousands of feasible sequences. On this trip you would report to work at your domicile at 05:45 am (one hour prior to departure) to complete your preflight duties in the operations area and proceed to your aircraft. You would then meet your fellow flight attendant crew and cockpit crew and depending on your designated position aboard the aircraft, begin checking your emergency equipment and begin executing your other assigned preflight duties.
Your first day at work would include setting up galleys, carts and catering and performing meal and beverage services, boarding and deplaning airplanes, answering questions and solving problems for your passengers as well as fulfilling passenger requests. You would perform regulated safety checks, arm and disarm emergency exits, complete P.A.’s and safety demonstrations and effectively handle each and every onboard situation.
At the end of the first duty day, you would complete your designated post flight duties and you and your crew would be met by company arranged transportation and taken to your hotel. The layover hotel is always paid for by the airline.
This particular New York layover would allow time to go out for dinner and even take in a Broadway show. You and your crew would meet at a designated time in the hotel lobby the following morning where company transportation would again transport you and your crew back to the airport, and you would begin your second work day which would be very much the same as the first day. Later in the second day you would arrive into Palm Beach and be transported to your hotel early enough
for perhaps time by the pool or shopping.
The third day begins early and you eventually end your trip at your base in Dallas. This trip may sound simple but each trip involves three days of takeoffs and landings, time in hotels, time spent waiting for limos to hotels, down time spent in airports waiting for aircraft and often long, tiresome duty days. Each three day trip sequence would equate into about 50 hours spent away from home. Depending on the length of the trip the time away from home could be more or less.
As a flight attendant a normal schedule would have you flying between 10-17 days a month so three or four trips similar to the sample trip would make up a full month of flying for you.
Certain working legalities and flying regulations apply at every airline in terms of hours spent in the air and hours spent at rest. Most of the regulations and legalities are contractual or negotiated and differ among the airlines.
There are also government mandated regulations that apply. All of these legality issues are taken into consideration when the original sequences or trips are assembled by the airline. Duty regulations are defined as how many hours a flight attendant may work in a day and are set by both the Federal Aviation Administration and the airline. Most duty days are scheduled under or just at eight flight hours but may go as high as twelve or fourteen hours. For each day on duty, a flight attendant is required to have at least eight to twelve hours at rest. There is also a standard regulation that allows flight attendants to work no more than thirty flight hours in a seven day period. This particular duty regulation may sometimes be waived by the flight attendant if he/she wishes to perform extra flying.