The time spent in Flight Attendant School is very structured. A class schedule is posted, and you know where to be and what you will be doing at the appropriate time. This schedule includes break and lunch time.

Once your Flight Attendant Career has begun you will have a defined schedule. Unfortunately, this schedule does not include breakfast, lunch and dinner times.

We eat on the run. We eat when we can, and what we eat is another issue. The organized Flight Attendant will bring food from home. These people pack a lunch container, sometimes containing multiple days worth of food.

Some of us tend to live our life as a carryover from our Flight Attendant Career, hectically. This means that some of us are not prepared for the long periods of time when we need food and there is none in sight.

Some of us frantically will rummage through our bags during these times searching for anything edible. Gum to old snack bars, desperation is what desperation does.

If we are lucky there may be some Coach meals left. If we are really lucky, there may be some First Class meals left. However, this can’t be counted on.

Sometimes your crew will cover for you on a short turn, and let you run off the aircraft in search of food. In those times you will pray for short lines at the food stand. If you are not back by boarding time, you may get some vacation time…….. without pay.

Pack your carry-on with goodies. Know the restaurants locations at the airports you are visiting. Make a list of the pizza and Chinese places in your cell phone for those short layovers, and call in your order before you leave the airport.

You will eat like you work, fast and furious. If possible be prepared. If you can’t do that, I will share half of my PB&J with you…….if I’ve got one.

Popularity: 76% [?]

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If you are on a longer over-night stay, it is always a good idea to pick the mind of your van driver on your ride to the hotel.  More than my fair share of times the driver recommended me to a wonderful little place I would’ve never tried AND got a discount because I mentioned a certain name!  Yes, sometimes the place you have been recommended to will be a questionable little dive, but, judgment calls must be made sometimes in life.

Even if you don’t have a long night, buddy up anyways.  Chances are you can convince them to take you places that normally they wouldn’t be willing to take you (or in some cases technically allowed to take you).  This helps you with staying cooped up in the hotel, paying for a taxi, or walking to some place less desirable.  Just make sure you always carry cash for tips and remember that they do get tipped well, so don’t feel bad if all you’ve got is a dollar.  Even if you don’t ever use this friendship for more than a good conversation, you still win something out of the deal.

Flight attendant school gives you a good idea of how to tip, so don’t fret.  After listening to and talking with Captains and First Officers, I learned that having a traveling career, which includes a flight attendant career, means it is expected of you to tip as a part of your expenses.  Which means?  Tips are tax deductible!

Popularity: 74% [?]

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The first day of Flight Attendant School is very exciting. The instructors will go over the do’s and don’ts of the course. Company Executives will express their pleasure on having us as part of the team. The Credit Union lady shares the benefit of your own in-house Credit Union.

However, the main attraction is when the travel people come in to explain your flight benefits and how they work.

You will learn early in your Flight Attendant Career that the pay isn’t great, the hours can suck, and the passengers can sometimes be a challenge. Through it all, one thing is sure, the Benefits are great.

Usually your medical, dental, and vision benefits are wonderful. However, what we all work for are those flying benefits.

There is a challenge to the flying perk. In most cases, there must be an open seat available for the employee to get on the aircraft. In addition, most airlines have those empty seats taken by employees, in seniority order.

Don’t fear, there are usually plenty of flights to choose from, and as a Flight Attendant we hold an ace card, we can Jump Seat.

The Jump Seat is where we sit during take-off and landing. Most aircraft have one or two extra Jump Seats. They are usually available for Flight Attendants to freeload on.

For example: You are at the Cancun gate, thinking about the senoritas, and the sun. You have checked in for the flight. The Gate Agent shares some bad news. She tells you that there are only three seats left. You learn that those three seats are going to be swallowed up by the more senior Pilot and his family.

In addition, there are two operation people with more seniority ahead of you. If a miracle occurs, and extra seats appear, they will have those seats.

Put on your Poker Face, and pull out the Ace. Politely you take your rookie self over to the Gate Agent, and ask for a Jump Seat Form.

Your seat for today’s flight won’t have any movie, or alcoholic beverage privileges, however, you will be doing the “Hat Dance” by nightfall.

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Flying back to home base usually meant trying to beat a storm, this time the lightening storm beat us there.  Thankfully, the Captain and First Officer had agreed at our previous stop to fill up the fuel tank completely, instead of just a partial fill.  They felt that tower was incorrect in thinking we would beat the storm.  Woman’s Intuition I guess, as they were right!

As we neared FLL, we were diverted over Nassau to wait the storm out.  Then, the storm stalled.  We circled for about 45 minutes, after about an hour and a half flight.  People were getting edgy, night had fallen, and the distant lightning show was no longer amusing its audience.  Finally the plane was diverted to Fort Myers, Florida (across the state’s panhandle) to fuel up again.  I learned in flight attendant school that diverts were something that shouldn’t last too terribly long and were avoided at all costs.  This divert turned into a 4 hour experience.

The whole time I had three very nervous unaccompanied minors and two very friendly gentlemen helping me with them.  Once we landed I let the minors call their parents on my cell phone – good thing too because the parents were completely in the dark.  The two gentlemen helped me turn the event into a party.  With comped drinks to the whole flight everyone had a blast.  A full plane with happy, content, and most importantly safe passengers in a stressful situation is every career flight attendant’s goal.

Popularity: 79% [?]

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All airlines were not created the same. It is evident even today as the Customer Service Reports come out.

More often passengers are discovering that the flight they are on is not what they had planned on. Routes from San Diego to Phoenix, Chicago to Cleveland and Dallas to Detroit are now using much smaller aircraft. The Regional Jet is here to stay. Airlines are saving large sums of money as these smaller version jets hop their passengers around.

The problem is that the hopping around is no longer restricted to short flights, we find ourselves on these “Mini-Me” airplanes for three hour flights or more.

The need for the Regional Airline has opened the door of opportunity for many more airline personnel. When one thought of Flight Attendant School, your mind may have pictured, France, China, and Hawaii. Today you may work for an airline in Hawaii, an airline that is only fitted with Regional Jets.

The original mission regarding the usage of the Regional Jet may have been lost. These airplanes don’t just fly short routes any longer. Unfortunately the passenger ultimately pays for the swing in the travel industry.

Regional Jets more often than not offer a very limited beverage service. They very rarely will offer a substantial snack. If you are in the mood for in-flight entertainment, you may only have the option of watching the six foot two inch guy squirm in his undersized space. Carry on space is not only limited it is almost non-existent.

These smaller airlines, with their smaller aircraft also pay smaller wages while working longer hours.  If you want to have a long Flight Attendant Career, you may want to get hired by a Major Airline. Thinking big pays off in more ways than in just dollars. Schedules, vacations, sick time, work time; all equate to peace of mind time.

Popularity: 79% [?]

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After system checks for a red-eye flight, the pilots discovered that our left wing was low on hydraulic fluid.  For mechanical reasons, lack of ground crew, and the length of our day, the company decided to ground us for the night, and have us fly a ferry flight the next morning departing at 4:30 a.m.

First problem with the cunning plan: no hotels in the area were vacant – meaning?  We slept in the ground crew’s break room, now there’s fun!  (Please note sarcasm)  Second problem: which we didn’t discover till the next morning, was that the skeleton ground crew didn’t show up to work until 5:30 a.m.  Never a dull moment in a Flight Attendant Career!

We were a crew of three, at o’dark thirty, searching the tarmac for a plane that was seemingly lost.  We soon discovered it in the extra lot and began the process of figuring out how to get in.  It was easy to open the plug door, but with no steps, up was the problem.  The First Officer hoisted himself in (6 feet from the ground to the fuselage floor), then I was pulled in by one and hoisted up by the other.  The Captain followed once I got in.

By the time the crews got there we were ready to go and they had us on our way, and only an hour late.  Breaking and entering was never so comical!  The importance of the ground crew taught to me in Flight Attendant School was really proved that morning.

Popularity: 81% [?]

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It all starts in Flight Attendant School. We make new and everlasting friendships. We discover that we are all linked by our interesting pasts.

Flight Attendants are a very diverse group. However, we do have something in common; we all did something before we entered our Flight Attendant Careers.

Within the first few weeks of Flight Attendant School you will be amazed at the different backgrounds and professions your new colleagues are from.

Your class will have former school teachers, nurses, marketing professionals and even police officers.

You may even be shocked to find out that the quiet conservative girl sitting in front; is a topless dancer. Yea, we had a topless dancer in our class.

The extraordinary advantage to this group is the knowledge, expertise, and experience that each of us can learn from each other. Our classmates will bring us new approaches to our challenges and new perspectives on those same challenges.

Some of our class will be young people, with fresh ideas. Some will be older people that will share their life experiences. These experiences and ideas will enlighten you, and shed new answers toward some of the challenges in your Flight Attendant Career.

Make a list of the people in your class. This will not only help you with your holiday cards, it will serve as a list of life- long friends; for companionship, for expertise, advice and just a shoulder to lean on.

You may even find out that the topless dancer in your class; is quite a capitalist.

Popularity: 80% [?]

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I LOVE FERRY FLIGHTS! Being the only flight attendant on the plane allowed for them to be a really awesome experience. In flight attendant school, we are taught that they are very rare, but when and if they do happen, hopefully your Captain will be good enough to let you fly up in the cockpit … I can’t hope more that you get that wonderful opportunity.

During my flight attendant career I got this amazing chance about half a dozen times, and each time I was awestruck. My extra seat in the cockpit folded down over the cockpit door, so, when taking off (and we would leave the cockpit door open) you could look back behind you and watch this outstanding straight shot tunnel effect down the fuselage. At first it can be disorienting, but I’m an adrenaline junky anyways!

I would have to say however, that the scariest part for me was flying at night and heading straight into a cloud. I had been looking down and not noticed that we were heading into cloud cover, I looked up just in time to see us hit a solid wall of dark gray!

Besides getting to see some really cool stuff and feeling some G’s you wouldn’t normally feel (if your crew was showing off), you also get a fantastic chance to see what your crew really does, goes through, listens to, lingo they speak, etc. It is truly a great learning opportunity.

Popularity: 85% [?]

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Flight Attendants, for the most part, are characters. Some Flight Attendants are more animated than others.

In Flight Attendant School, our personalities will come out every once and a while. The stress of the school work, the memorizing, and drills, keep most students at a pretty even personality pace.

Once your Flight Attendant Career has taken off, you will have many opportunities to express yourself.

If you are like me, and a bit of a goof, be careful, when you make a cute comment. Make sure you can sell them, always make sure that your victim buys into the joke before you put your foot toward your lips.

When Nancy Sinatra walked on to my flight, I said,” Hi, nice boots.” She shook her head and smiled.

When Reggie Theus, an ex NBA All Star, and current coach of the Sacramento Kings tried to put his oversize bag in the overhead, I stood back watched him struggle a little, and said, “Hey Reggie, I can help you with that bag, but you’re gonna have to pass it to me.”

Mr. Theus’s reputation was not one that revolved around sharing the basketball in his playing days. He smiled, shook his head, and asked, “Who are you man?”

Tom Jones boarded on a flight from Las Vegas. Mr. Jones and his companion eased into their seats. Twenty minutes after takeoff, I was compelled to make the following two announcements. Ladies and gentlemen, “It’s Not Unusual” for us to run out of pillows and blankets on these flights.

Would passenger “Delila” please ring your call button?

Mr. Jones turned his head both times, I couldn’t see his reaction, I guess it was ok; I didn’t receive any bad fan mail on it.

I’m Italian. To some people that probably explains quite a lot.

I was once flying non- revenue to Chicago (flying for free).  Tony Bennett was sitting in first class. A friend of mine was working first class. I wasn’t properly dressed for first class, but begged my way in. Tony Bennett to an Italian, ranks right there with the Pope.

I sat across from Mr. Bennett. I shuffled my newspaper, twitched around, did everything almost possible to get his attention.

Nothing seemed to be working. I cleared my throat and started humming, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

The first class flight attendant walked over to me. He bent down, and in a whisper asked, “Johnny boy, what the hell are you doing?”

I grinned and said. “Oh, just humming.”

He said, “You’re out of here, your being booted, to coach, for bad behavior.”

We laugh about it every time we see each other, now.

I must have broken my own rule, because he didn’t buy into it at the time.

Popularity: 83% [?]

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I went to a flight attendant school before I applied for a job with an airline.  The girls I met there were amazing.  Towards the end of our six weeks however, we were all going a little crazy from the seclusion from our friends and family.  The school was in Florida and we were on the beach.  We had swimming and socializing, but soon a rumor began to spread about an FAA spy being sent to our school to make sure training, teachers, and students were all up to par.  Before I knew it, I was declared the spy.  At first it was all fun and games; it was all a great joke.  Soon some of the girls began convincing themselves that our bantering fun was actual fact.

Before I knew it my choice of speaking when I chose and socializing when I felt became their decision.  My suite mates knew I couldn’t be a spy; none of it really made any logical sense.  It was odd, a fun joke ended up secluding me and my suite mates until we went to Delta Headquarters for mock training.  We went there to get an idea of what we would go through in our flight attendant careers.  After leaving our beach paradise cells, the girls snapped back to reality and apologized for their behavior.  I learned that if you take things too seriously, you soon snap!

Popularity: 84% [?]

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