Flying High: The Life of Flight Attendants

written on May 10th, 2016 by Rafia Abubakar

I had woken up mid-flight in time to see an attendant serve water. Suddenly a question crossed my mind. It’s been 7 hours into the night. Do the cabin crew sleep? Take shifts probably during long haul flights? Seem like a ridiculous question, and the answer may be obvious to many, but I was taking note to ask.

There’s definitely more to the life of a flight attendant than serving up meals and making us comfortable. I asked friends, some who have been working 7 to 9 years in the industry, while others were just getting into their first year of service.

Did they enjoy travelling that much? Enough to choose this career?

Travelling seems to be something most people enjoy, and it’s no different for our cabin crews. Unanimously all replied with a yes.

The opportunity to discover new places, cultures and food was a common theme. The bonus was being able to visit family and friends living in their next destination, making the trip more personal than just business. Sometimes the trip itself gave them the joy of understanding the world in a new perspective.

Interestingly though, when asked about career choices, most said that it was not their first. I had a registered nurse and an aspiring pastry chef in my pool of interviewees. Life indeed is full of surprises.

Expectations VS. Reality. What’s it like working as a flight attendant?

We tend to think it must be an easy job. Attend to the needs of the passengers and look pristine doing so. What we fail to note is what goes into the rigid training to become certified.

Allan, a cabin crew for 7 years, relates it well, “On the outside, we look like we just cater and travel. But we’re also safety professionals and the first line of defense to making sure everyone is safe and properly cared for during the whole flight.”

Not to mention, the challenge of having to deal with the occasional difficult and demanding passenger, and work crazy hours without time to eat and sleep like normal people.

Speaking of challenges, what were those they had to face and overcome?

Apart from the crazy hours and adjusting body clocks, the fact that going to work literally means leaving family and friends behind is something they have to come to terms with. It gets worse when they miss special occasions while on duty.

Safety and emergency drills are part of the job description. It takes guts to overcome everyday work. For Rayland, lead cabin crew, getting home safely is a challenge itself, “Every day I fly different routes and deal with different types of weather. Putting [one foot] in the grave by taking this job is probably the daily challenge I [face] and overcome by landing safely. It gives me comfort every time I pray for a safe landing and takeoff. To go home after 6 flights and get a nice 8 hour sleep after duty is most rewarding.”

What’s the most rewarding thing about working in the Travel Industry?

Apart from the perks of travelling, they all agree that through the job they learned more about different cultures and met interesting people. The experience itself is enriching.

Not only do they get to travel, they get paid to do so. Their career choices have enabled them to provide for their family and loved ones even if it does take them far away.

It’s interesting to know what goes on, on the other side of the fence. When you go on a trip, these are the people who make sure you get to your destination safe and sound. So take the time to appreciate their effort.

And yes! They do sleep. Two shifts, half and half during long flights.