The job of a flight attendant often seems glamorous and attractive to people from other fields. However, one former flight attendant shared the non-obvious aspects of this profession, which are revealed upon deeper study than just external appeal.
According to a Business Insider report, a woman who worked for about ten years as a flight attendant for the now-closed airline Ukraine International Airlines shared her experience and provided interesting information about the work of flight attendants. She explained that behind what attracts people from afar lies a number of serious difficulties.
The former flight attendant recalled that while working at Ukraine International Airlines, she flew routes up to 12 hours long to various destinations in Europe, Asia, and North America. This position allowed her to see and understand almost all the processes happening behind the scenes of air travel.
Passengers, watching the crew members laughing together in the galley or on the aircraft, often assumed they had known each other for many years. However, reality was different. Often, when she boarded the plane, it turned out that the entire crew, including pilots, had changed. She had to work with completely new people she didn't know.
When she first started, this situation caused some anxiety. She had to work with a team she didn't know every day because the crew composition often changed on every flight. Sometimes she managed to meet only one or two familiar colleagues.
After she was promoted and became a senior flight attendant, she developed the ability to turn completely strangers into a cohesive and effective group in less than 10 minutes at an altitude of 35,000 feet. This skill became her kind of 'superpower.'
Many mistakenly believe that flight attendants constantly throw parties or spend nights traveling to new cities. In reality, she constantly battled jet lag. Sometimes before a long upcoming flight, she only had time for food, a shower, and sleep.
Furthermore, an unwritten appearance check was conducted before every flight. This was done to confirm compliance with the airline's standards regarding hairstyle, makeup, and clothing. This created psychological pressure related to her own appearance. For example, she had to maintain clear skin, have manicured nails, and keep a slim figure and neat hairstyle. To reduce this pressure, she eventually decided to get a bob haircut to make styling easier.