I Applied for a Flight Attendant Job For Grins and Giggles. Now I've Made it to the Final Stage. Oh, Shit.

It's unethical but fuck em.

Coffee, tea, or me!

I say do it! Create your own adventure and enjoy the experiences you have along the way. I think Texas is meh, but you never know. I'd do it just for the novelty. Have fun!

Why not?

Seems like some part of you wants this.

No harm in trying.

OP go through with it. I'm curious. Do you have a job right now? Do you love it? Do you like to travel? You're going to Texas? The one airline I know is in Texas is Southwest. If you do interview with them, they are among the nicest flight attendants I have ever worked with. They have a great sense of humor and they're kind of fun. That's from a consumer's point of view. Regardless, if you do follow up and interview in Texas for who ever it is, look at wages and benefits. Also look at the company. I would strongly urge you to stay away from Frontier and Spirit.

Aren't they poorly paid?

I honestly half-assed my way through the whole process.

I filled out an application, then they sent me a link to an online test that was pretty simple. One of the questions had a list of drinks that were available to passengers in the different cabins, then you had to decide which drinks a business class passenger could get. I was pretty sure I'd make it past that round, and I did.

Then I had to do a recorded video where I answered a series of questions. They gave you as many opportunities to record the video as you wanted until you felt comfortable with the final product before submitting it. I remember my co-worker telling me it took her two hours before she finally completed that phase. I literally did it in 10 minutes. I never re-recorded any of my videos. I just sent my first responses. I was sure I would get knocked out at that point.

A month later, I was surprised to get an invite for a live video interview. At that point, I was going to bow out, but then I thought, "Well, let me see if they like me face-to-face." So I sheduled the interview, and some 20-something girl (who was probably a summer intern) blandly read out three standard questions ("Tell me about a time when you had to solve a difficult problem," "Tell me about a time where you had to de-escalate a situation," "Tell me why you want to work for our airline." That process took less than 10 minutes, and I immediately thought, "Well, I'm out."

24 hours later, I got the invite to fly to Texas. I honestly do not want to be a flight attendant. It actually sounds like a grueling job, but damnit, there's a part of me that wants to see if I can actually get selected!

TRAMP!

R5 Here's the thing. I'm actually semi-retired. I work part time, and I have no desire to work full time again, much less uproot myself and possibly have to live in another city and fly around to podunk places like Boise and Fort Wayne in the middle of the night (which all the newbie flight attendants have to do because the senior FAs won't do that shit). The pay is awful. The benefits, per diem, and perks are okay.

But there's a competitive streak in me that wants to see just how far I can take it.

And it's not Spirit, Frontier, or Southwest.

Go on to TX to find the firing squad the airline uses for those who superfluously waste resources while applying for service industry position...

Do you have to wear a swimsuit for the next step?

R9, don't go to Texas OP. Your post at R9 tells me this is a waste of time for you. You've already made up your mind. And your right about it being a grueling job. I will also say flying is hard on older people. I'm not talking about customers. But if your job is flying, it's rough on your body and your health. Not worth it unless you want it. Clearly you really don't want it. And yes, flying to Boise at 2 AM would definitely be a huge turn off.

R11 Evening wear should be before the swimsuit segment.

R12 Thank you! You're absolutely right.

R6. Yes. Starting pay is $30.00/hour. They did vaguely explain the per diem process, which sounded a bit complicated, but it seems like you could actually clean up pretty well with the per diem.

I honestly don't know someone could actually make a living as a flight attendant. I'm guessing you'd have to have, like, five roommates or at least two other part-time jobs on the days you're not flying.

If you're a retired OP, why not do it for a little bit for the free travel?

R16 Mainly because I wouldn't want to relocate to another city, fly shitty red-eye flights to gawd awful places, and be on call and tethered to my home all the time.

The free travel perks would be nice, but I have a feeling I'd be working too much to take advantage of them.

I also forgot to mention that when I got the e-mail for the live online interview, it said to "dress for the job" and "practice possible responses to possible questions."

I wore a short-sleeved button down shirt (no tie) for the interview, and I didn't prepare any responses at all. All my responses were off the cuff. That's why I thought I'd be eliminated. The fact that I got an invite to Texas a day later was really surprising.

I guess they really ARE desperate for flight attendants these days.

I totally get it, OP. I would be the same way but would probably end up taking the job if offered because in addition to my competitive streak, I am also impulsive and a people pleaser. Then I would probably come to my senses at 3500 feet and be like WTF am I doing?!

Grins and giggles?

R19 Yes, I could see myself going through the final interview, being told I was selected, then being shipped off to some city God knows where, then saying, "What the hell did I just do?"

At your age?

The work schedule for a new flight attendant would kick my ass, especially the red eyes. And not just the red eyes. I'm thinking about all the flights that land around 8, 9, 10, 11PM then you get home and have to be ready to go at 5 AM the next day? Hell no.

OP, do you have an actual job? How can you afford to do this for fun? Don’t you have to be at work?

Most flights seem to crash these days. Can I have your stuff, OP?

R24 See R9.

OP, think about the job itself. What a flight attendant does. They wheel those carts thru cramped quarters pouring beverages and passing out stale cookies. If the toilets are gross they have to clean them in flight, then close them for a real cleaning once they land. If someone gets sick in their seat, or spills something, etc. It's on you. Their actual job tasks fall somewhere between a wait staff and a nurse's aide. And honestly, I'm not a very patient person. If someone acted out and was being an asshole I might go off on them.

R27 Yes, it would be barely a step above being a janitor, but with less freedom of movement.

you could end up with a Shitty Little Ann

And once you complete your flight training, they assign you your home base and you only have two weeks to get there and start working.

That would be a nightmare.

[quote]I'm thinking about all the flights that land around 8, 9, 10, 11PM then you get home and have to be ready to go at 5 AM the next day? Hell no.

That's were Adderall comes in handy. Go along with the "ADHD" crowd.

I have a friend who did that with Pan Am. Ended taking the job and flying for 4 years.

OP everything adds up to you being the perfect candidate to be a Flight Attendant. Why fight your destiny.

There was a flight attendant’s memoir I read a couple years ago, she flew out of either LaGuardia or JFK. but she lived somewhere else, Texas? and just did a house share with several other flight attendants. They had bunk beds I think and would just come in and sleep. You only work about half the month so then she’d fly back home. She liked it so much, her mother became a flight attendant too and eventually they rented their own crash pad in Queens..

R33 Nope. Not for me.

R34 I can't imagine sharing living quarters with someone else after living on my own for so long.

OP how old are you? The main question is whether this job will get you more or better quality dick.

R37 I'm too old to care about dick, quality or not. It wouldn't be a motivating factor for me.

Couldn't you just be a waitress at a 24/7 Denny's?

I would totally do this and I'm glad I'm not the only one to encourage you.

The job is shitty, you only get paid for your time after the jet door is closed. Free travel is great but you'll have no money to spend when you get to where you're going.

A friend is a long term United attendant and he loves it. My brother is a captain on Delta and he hates it. It just depends on your expectations.

I wish your interview was in a better location but this will be a great story to tell .

R39 That would be easier and I'd probably make more money.

Just think of all the air rage videos you can record!

For the talent segment you can do Karen black in airport 75.

[quote] One of the questions had a list of drinks that were available to passengers in the different cabins, then you had to decide which drinks a business class passenger could get.

So given they're flying you to Texas for the interview, and the airline has different classes, it's American Airlines. Good news is that you'll have access to cheap/free flights to international destinations + buddy passes, maybe the opportunity to fly in first or business class too.

It's not unethical. You might go to the final interview and like the benefits, job/work balance, the ability to travel etc.

R44 They made it clear when discussing flight benefits that you'll always fly economy and it will be on a standby basis.

Marla Maples played a flight attendant in a movie. It didn't end well for her...

[quote]R38 I'm too old to care about dick, quality or not. It wouldn't be a motivating factor for me.

That’s so strange - I would think the unrepentant whorishness of the position would be almost its only reward.

[quote]They made it clear when discussing flight benefits that you'll always fly economy and it will be on a standby basis.

I used to work for American (or US Airways rather who merged with American) in corporate and you can, occasionally, get to fly business but it is rare.

Standby goes by paid passengers first, and then seniority for employees. American has some employees who have been with the company since the 70's, so for most employees, you are lucky to get on the plane at all, much less first class.

Being an FA can be a difficult job, but if money isn't a priority, I would absolutely go through the interview process at least. The benefits (non-flight) are good.

You can usually pick up (or trade off) trips (you have to work a minimum every month), so you can usually work as much or as little (within reason) as you want.

Pimp Momma Kris Kardashian started out as an American Airlines flight attendant. And look at that bitch now.

I thought you could always fly if a jump seat was available. And I'm sure you'd get more dick than you could handle

Just think, OP, you might be the star of a viral video with an unhinged passenger!

You'll never be Miss Upper Deck, OP...

[quote]I thought you could always fly if a jump seat was available. And I'm sure you'd get more dick than you could handle

You can, but this again goes by seniority and for some airlines (I don't know about American specifically), sometimes pilots get first dibs on all jump seats (even FA ones), and for some airlines, FA's cannot use the pilot (in cockpit) jump seat.

No flight to Texas is worth it.

I would do the interview, OP. They may present you with perqs and options you don't know about yet, and it may entice you to take the position. Plus, it sounds like you're not going to be working much longer before you retire -- it might be a fun job to do at the end of your career!

Give it a shot, OP -- who knows? And have a steak while you're in TX. I had the best steak of my life in Austin at Texas Land and Cattle.

Kew Gardens, New York (Queens County), was Flight Attendant central. Three, Four, and Five to an apartment.

R57 Sounds dismal.

No flight to Texas is worth it.

But as a perk, you can have hot sex with passengers and the flight crew anywhere!

I would go for more shits and giggles. It's not costing American anything to do this, I assume they might put you up in their own hotel? Plus, if they offer it to you and you act like you're not interested they may sweeten the offer.

American has lots of flight attendant base cities. It’s not like all of them live in Dallas.

[quote]Ask for seniority or forget it

That’s not how seniority works.

Wait until they invite you to training, OP. THAT's when the rubber hits the road.

You have to deal with a potential crash. A friend of mine had to slide down the inflatable slide and then swim in the water to get fellow students to the "shoreline."

They aren't going to have you pour cocktails in training, so if you really don't want to do this, I'd nope out of the process before they invite you to training or extend a job offer.

I'm sorry but I don't wanna have an old flight attendant that I feel bad for....Like shouldn't he be retired at his age

I'd prefer to be called a "Steward."

r65 Like, what?

I have a friend who helps screen applicants and run the onsite interviews for potential flight attendants for an airline that sounds like military code for the letter D. He tells funny stories about the types he's encountered and what they are really looking for is a laid back demeanor and high intelligence. So the steps OP described sounds exactly like the person he said they were looking for, prep or no prep.

Fun side note: we have a mutual frenemy who is a gate clerk at said airline, and whose dream is to be a male stew. He's a nightmare, clueless and HIGH DRAMA. Our friend kept his mouth shut but watched all the screeners decide within 3 minutes of the DRAMA queen frenemy's arrival that he was a NO GO just based upon their initial impressions. They let him go thru the whole ordeal, as the walking dead, and then told him no via email the next day. You have to wait so many months to reapply, and he continually does, and is continually put through this ordeal, with no hope of breaking through. Oh, how we howl as these updates come to us as we celebrate both the holidays and his endless suffering.

It's a shit, mean girl industry.

I would say go for it and enjoy the trip, if it was to anywhere other than shithole Texas.

Yeah, I saw that episode of Schitts Creek too

R65 It's rare that I see young flight attendants these days.

R68 You're bitches!

Come sit next to me.

ROFL

OP’s laid back attitude.

R73 That video could never get made today.

I had an acquaintance who was a flight attendant with American, he had been with them for 30 years and STILL did not have seniority for the really good flights. He said there's a shit load of ancient. stews who will probably die in flight.

The senior flight attendants will never retire. They've reached a point in their careers where they can choose to work maybe twice a month, and they'll work flights to Paris or London or Greece.

They will literally die before they give that shit up.

I know an older gay guy who got a job on a regional and worked for about 10 years. The job and schedule can be a bit brutal at times but he travelled everywhere and really liked it.

OP will definitely end a "you're trash" mumbler.

Yes, OP, it is wrong of you. Is your life so drab an airline flight to Texas is a high for you? Stop wasting the airline's time.

I’d feel strange waiting on former classmates or colleagues.

It looks really hard. So many passengers are unrefined, or unprepared for the rituals of flight. It must be a long, hard day “gathering” people and sorting out excess baggage, kids, pets. Many flight attendants look guarded and worn out. It must be especially hard dealing with drunk, or aggressive, or smelly passengers.

Sometimes the menfolk get “handsy”

R83, OP likes it when the men spank her ass.

[quote]Pimp Momma Kris Kardashian started out as an American Airlines flight attendant. And look at that bitch now.

My mum was a flight attendant too, and ...well what more is there to say?

Normally I would say that is wrong OP, but Airlines have a history of screwing people over all the time, I am surprise it isn't their motto, so go for it.

[quote] there's a shit load of ancient. stews who will probably die in flight.

One of the strongest unions is the flight attendant union. They don't play and they are NOT to be fucked with.

Just like that one coworker cunt who picks every holiday off because she's been there for 375 years, the ancient stews get all the good holidays, fun flights and make their own hours.

I hope you speak jive.

OP you're going to be their DEI hire. One witty but physically slow eldergay with jet black dyed hair. Box checked. No age discrimination lawsuits this year.

Are there still weight requirements for FAs?

(looking up abruptly)

Nah, I did something like this. They flew me to Phoenix and I interviewed but seemed nervous so didn't make the cut.

It probably saved my life because shortly after one of their planes crashed. Anxiety is such a life saver!

“Please fasten your seat belts, our destination of Stevens Point will be approaching in approximately 35 minutes!”

So you have to sit your own caftan?

Why be a couch potato-social media zombie when you can see the world for the price of a barf bag!

First class international.

Go for Royalty, not Royalty Express, otherwise you might end up in Cleveland.

R90 I don't know how strict their requirements are, but I did have to give them my height and weight, so I imagine there are some standards that must be met.

I remember the times when 'stewardesses' had to be below a certain age, below a certain height/weight limit, attractive, and unmarried. These days most of the FAs (male and female) on flights I've been on are middle aged, somewhat dumpy, sour of demeanor, and obviously would love to be anywhere other than that airplane.

R98 My sister was a stewardess back in the day when the job was "glamorous." There were height and weight requirements, and she had to have regular weigh-ins to make sure she wasn't getting plump.

Back then, you also had to be single in order to be a stewardess.

I was on a Delta flight recently, and I think I met my first straight male FA. He looked rumpled, and his shoes made me suspect that he probably wasn't gay. Nice guy and did a good job, but there was a lot of bro energy.

R1, i second this. You’re lying, but airline companies are some of the worst as far as employee treatment. Fuck them

OP here. I emailed the airline this morning and said that due to "unforeseen circumstances, I must regretfully withdraw from further consideration for the position."

I would have liked to have seen what the final interview process was like and whether I could have gotten all the way through, but it's ridiculous for me to fly to Texas knowing I would never have any intention of accepting the position if I were to get it. If the final interview was local, I might have considered seeing it through, but I have to keep my competitive side in check and quit while I'm ahead.

I'd be interested to know if there are any other FAs on this thread and what their final interview experience was like.

R102, I'm proud of you. You made the right decision.

[quote]R102 I emailed the airline this morning and said that due to "unforeseen circumstances, I must regretfully withdraw from further consideration for the position."

For reasons which are well known to them…

OP, I'm curious to know where you live? No need to be specific, but are you in the Midwest? The Southeast, the Northeast, the Northeast, etc.?

I'm heartbroken, OP -- we'll never find out what could have been!

Remember, there are some of us elderfolk who live our lives through you young'uns.

Did you even get a glimpse of what the training outfit would have looked like? I’m seeing a jumpsuit with a lot of pockets, in the airline’s official colors. Also, a scarf.

Be conservative in the evening gown competition.

Can you do a three point pivot?

R105 I'm on the West Coast.

I didn't know FLyLO went to Texas.