Becoming a Flight Attendant
You may be considering becoming a flight attendant because of the perks of the job; you frequently travel and some of your downtime can be spent in new locations when you clock off when out of town. Whenever you want to travel as a passenger, your status as a flight attendant will ensure you a discount. However, there are a number of disadvantages to the flight attendant job as well, so you have to be fully committed to understanding the responsibilities of the job before you jump headfirst into this competitive field based on romantic notions.
A flight attendant is first and foremost a customer service representative. Your job is to represent the airline in a positive light and make sure that all of the passengers’ basic needs are attended to. However, being a flight attendant is not as easy as working customer service on the ground. Airline passengers are notoriously grumpy on the whole, as traveling is a tiring and stressful activity. The act of leaving the ground and adjusting to changes in air pressure can also make a person physically ill. A flight attendant may get more used to the changes in air pressure, but it can still affect your health. However, your flight attendant job will require you to put on a smile and help the passengers first, even if you feel ill yourself.
The flight attendant job also requires you to perform safety instruction and checks before each flight. This requires a thorough knowledge of safety and attention to detail. You’ll also be responsible for serving food and/or drinks as a flight attendant and should be aware that the serving cart may pose a hazard and cause injury, especially if the flight experiences turbulence. A flight attendant may experience discomfort in the joints in the long-term as much of his or her job requires standing and maintaining balance in the turbulent plane.
As a flight attendant, you’ll earn a comfortable salary and enjoy the added benefit of frequent travel. However, understand that the flight attendant job can be very stressful and requires you to be calm under duress.