The 2 most important traits you will need to succeed as a flight attendant

Two of the most important traits you will need to succeed as a flight attendant are flexibility and a positive attitude.

ATTITUDE, ATTITUDE, ATTITUDE

Succeeding as a flight attendant requires the diplomacy of a Nelson Mandela and the patience of a Mother Teresa. Passengers are in direct contact with flight attendants more than any other airline employee. So flight attendants can make the most lasting impression of the airline. Airline executives recognize that flight attendants are key employees largely because it is the flight attendants who are the single most responsible factor for repeat business, the bread and butter of the airline industry. Conversely, flight attendants with a bad attitude can drive away customers. These are among the key reasons why the airlines are so particular about whom they hire, and require their employees to follow the company guidelines for conduct and behavior.

Two of the most important traits you will need to succeed as a flight attendant are flexibility and a positive attitude. Flexibility is one of the requirements of the job that most flight attendants love, and it is the attribute you will need most to flourish on the job. If it is important to you to spend every night with your family or to watch “Wheel of Fortune,” then this job is not for you. Being a flight attendant is not only a job; it’s a lifestyle. It is possible you will have to work weekends when all your friends are off, and will be off work on weekdays when they are working nine–to–five. They will be able to live your travels vicariously but may not be able to join you on them in part because “free” travel benefits generally are available only to members of your immediate family, not to friends. In the first few years of your career as a flight attendant, it is very likely that you will have to work on all the major holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Canada Day. You may miss weddings, birthdays, and special events. It will be difficult to make plans more than a month in advance, and even then you may be forced to change your plans at the whim of airline schedule changes.

Your spouse or significant other may not be able to accept your absence for days at a time.They may be jealous when you have fun with new and interesting people, while they are left behind. If you have children, your care provider must be flexible and able to handle emergencies when you are 3,000 miles away, or stuck in a snowstorm halfway around the world. If you are a single parent, it can be especially difficult to secure childcare. Pets must be cared for in advance of your absence, either by leaving them with friends, or boarding them at your own expense.

And you may have to move to a new and strange city, far from your family and friends. This is especially true when you first start and are more likely to be assigned to a city that was not your first choice. While you can commute on your own airline (providing it serves your home town), you will be on an “on–call” basis when you first start flying, and will be required to be in your base city when scheduled. You will need to factor in the costs of food and lodging since you are responsible for these expenses. If you choose to commute, it will be your responsibility to be in your base city in time for your working flight. You may have to leave days earlier if there is a storm or known work action which may delay your commute flight. Plus, your commute flights may be fully booked, and you have to find other ways or means to get to your base city. Any nights you have to spend lodging in your base city between working flights will be at your own expense. (As far as your airline is concerned, you "live" in your base city — even if your home is somewhere else.) More information on commuting can be found in the section on Training.

Although all this may sound severe, it’s not much different than starting a new job with any company. The longer you work for an airline, the more seniority you acquire, and the more predictable your schedule will become. More information on seniority can be found in the Training chapter.

The airline industry thrives on change, and you must be able to flow with the changes on a constant basis. If you need the predictability of a nine–to–five job, five days a week with weekends off, then this career is not for you. There is nothing routine when you are a flight attendant.

At this point, you must ask yourself, “Am I ready for this? Can I handle these changes and still keep my sanity?” This job will either be the most exciting career of your life or the most disruptive event in your lifestyle. It all depends on the attitude you bring to the job. Even though you may eventually have a somewhat regular work schedule, various uncontrollable factors such as weather, equipment breakdowns, and human illness and work stoppages will always keep your job as a flight attendant far from routine. A snowstorm in the Midwest can shift your layover in Hawaii to a layover in Des Moines. Your plans to get married one weekend could be dashed by an air traffic controller strike in Paris.

You must be flexible and positive during all unexpected in–flight “events” because passengers will look to you for guidance. When they are locked in an aircraft with you for hours, you are the lucky person on whom they will vent their anger and frustrations. This is where your diplomatic skills come into play. As a professional, you cannot get caught up in their mood and exacerbate a bad situation. You must convince them that everything will be fine, and leave them wanting to fly again on your airline.

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TIM KIRKWOOD, currently in his 48th year as an airline flight attendant for a major US carrier, is the author of THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT CAREER GUIDE. For more information on the Guide, visit us on the web at www.FlightAttendantCareerGuide.com.

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