Air Hostess

[Lankidoodles]

Im planning on being a air hostess but i have alot of negative comments on it poeple saying that its rubbish pay and the people who are higher rank than you treat you like slaves. Is this true or is a heaven job??? Please help as im planning to go to college to start the course very soon.

[gammaray]

Most people that comment know absolutely nothing about the job. My brother in law is a purser with British Airways, his wife (before she had their daughter) was also cabin crew. One of my wifes cousins works for Virgin. The job, like any other has it's good and bad points. My brother in law loves his job. He flys long haul and gets paid well for doing it. At his level he is incharge of cabin crew and he treats everyone below him with respect.

I'll probably get shot for saying this, and I speak as someone who wouldn't work for an airline no matter what the pay and conditions were (I hate flying!!) but cabin crew are just gloryfied waiting staff. There is an awful lot of tedium attached to the job. Strong customer skills are essential as well as the ability to smile through gritted teeth. There are plus points though - you get to fly all over the world. If that's he sort of thing that floats your boat, and you fall within the regulation weight, height etc. then go for it.

[gammaray]

By the way, the correct term is Cabin Crew, not Air Hostess! never say air hostess, it's a near fatal mistake!!

[Ethel]

Cabin crew are serving staff. You have to be pleasant to people who are rude and arrogant.

You will be in very close proximity with people who smell and deal with their vomit.

Of course, most of the passengers will be perfectly ordinary and some may even be pleasant and treat you like a person.

You will be on your feet serving food and drinks and flogging goods nobody wants in a confined space.

If you are very lucky you may get to spend more than 3 hours in a foreign airport before boarding your next flight.

Not my idea of a heaven job, but as a frequent flier I'd be lost without the cabin crew and admire them greatly.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

[Andy008]

It's perhaps a depressing indictment of the world we live in that, at the age of only 23, I've arrived at the conclusion that all jobs are ****.

[laurence2]

its not cabin crew. its''Trolley Dollies'' The pay and conditions are crap, my personal view is that people who want to be Trolley Dollies are looking for attention and feel that telling people that they work for an airline sounds important.

Ps, Did you see the programme ''Dispatches'' the other week about ''Ryan Airlines'' you would'nt want to be an cabin crew if you would of watched that {well not for ryan air anyway}

i hope i haven't offended anyone it is Just my view

Thankyou

[bellasasha]

i have decided to take a career break and i have applied to become cabin crew for british airways and i have an interview coming up. i think with every other job there are pros and cons, the biggest pro being able to fly anywhere in the world. the pay isnt fantastic but it can be depending on your experience. after having worked in customer service type jobs in the past and i have been at management level and i know what it means to be nice to people who are rude, and as long as you keep your head held high who cares!!! at the end of the day you can kick off your shoes and know those people are not worth bothering with. yes they are glorified waiting staff but hey, you are glorified waiting staff and travelling the world at the same time!!! more often than not you get to stay where you fly to, you dont always spend time in airports. so in my view its a great job and i hope i get the job i am going for!!

[bellasasha]

and in response to laurence, yes the dispatches programme was on ryanair!!! enuf said!!!! cheap = cheap!!!

[gammaray]

Absolutely bellasasha, you go for it and good luck with your interview. The job is what you make it. With British Airways you also get structured career development (not something Ryanair worries too much about) and not forgetting your heavily discounted travel concessions, meaning you can use the air ways like other people hop on a bus.

[gammaray]

It's also quite good for families and friends too. On the very odd occasions I have flown (mainly to the states) we have been upgraded to business (there and back) and get to use the first class lounge in the airports before boarding, because my brother in law has "pulled a few strings".

[Godmancunian]

A friend of mine gave up a teaching job to be an air hostess and only lasted in it a year. She hated the restriction on her social life (having to be within a certain distance of the airport and on "standby"all the time, could not even have a drink in case she was called on). She also hated the hard sell of having to boost her income through sales of "duty frees". Admittedly she was on a low cost service for flights within the UK ... but she found it very boring and actually returned to teaching.

[Ryanaircrew]

I have been working as cabin crew for Ryanair for the last five month. I have to admit the airline is ****, but I do like the job. At Ryanair we do long days five days a week but the work it self is usually wery simple, if there is no passangers beeing sick or any problems with the weather. As a wateres in a restaurant or a bar u usually have to run around and are busy at all times. As a cabincrew even at Ryanair u have time to sitt down and read a magazin and chat to your coworkers.

Some times I have had supervisors who like bossing me around, but not often, and any way u usually don't flye with the same crew every day. In this jobb u don't have to lock at the same faces every day so u just get ower a bad day and the next u will have a laugh with your crew.

My normal monthly pay has been around a 1000 pounds, but offcourse when I was sick I got payd less as Ryanair does not pay for sickleew. I was sick one week in february and got payd 794 pounds the next month. So u deside if it is rubbish pay.