On the surface, the job of a flight attendant appears to be a glamorous one. You get to meet new people, wear a cute outfit, and fly to exotic locations.
But if you were to delve deeper, you'd see that it's a job that a lot of people aren't cut out for. There's low pay, rude passengers, messy situations, and lots of loneliness. Some flight attendants also have to live with knowing these 19 shocking secrets.
When this Redditor was a flight attendant, they would handle rude people by going to the computer and resetting their in-flight TV screen. They would keep doing this so the passenger couldn't watch their movie.
"A lot are paid only for the 'flight time' - meaning they aren't paid to sit at the airport, to wait....or even to greet customers during onboarding....For that reason alone, the longer the flight the better. Imagine working on a short route where your actual work is 3-4h but you're paid for 55 minutes as that was the duration of the flight." - u/
In case you don't know what this is, it's basically farting as you walk around. LOL. One Redditor said that it's best to do this around old people and children so you don't get blamed.
"A friend of mine who works for Emirates told me this little gem. Whenever they fly into Saudi Arabia, Emirates makes the flight attendants lock the entire galley including all the food, water and drinks, all the napkins and cutlery too. This is beacuse in the past, Saudi Arabian authorities would come on board and literally take anything they want and walk out. And there was nothing the airline or staff could do." - u/
This makes us mad for all the times we didn't get something for free.
When this Redditor on a flight ordered drinks for a couple with a baby behind them, they were tapped on the shoulder a few minutes later. A flight attendant rewarded them with a "goodie bag" filled with treats, drinks, and a voucher for 24-hour access to the AA lounge.
"A buddy of mine has been a pilot for the better part of 30 years and says that back 15-20 years ago the Russian/Soviet pilots and crew had to been watched like hawks (sometimes even being locked in a room) because there was a high chance of them getting absolutely drunk before when they were supposed to fly." - u/
Sadly, some workers say that alcoholism, drug abuse, and depression are common in the industry. While it's fun at first to see new places and destinations, the appeal eventually wears off as the loneliness creeps in.
"I once overheard a phone call at the gate check-in. A flight attendant was hungover, slept-in and was going to be pretty late. A minute later, the person at the kiosk made an announcement about how some pre-flight maintenance was going to delay the flight. I was thinking like, 'you lying sonofabitch.'" -u/
These are the little bottles that go into making drinks for passengers. One Redditor once received a large bin liner full of minis and mixers.
"The toilets are near where we sit, and no matter how hard you try to cover the fact that you’re taking a dump. It makes a different noise than if you just go number 1." -u/
Since the flight crew (including pilots) often stay at the same hotel, one Redditor wrote that they all party together. This leads some pilots to often sleep with flight attendants regardless of marital status.
"Used to work for a UK airline (non-crew). It was normal for passengers that died on board to be kept in their seats until landing. They would be wrapped in blankets and propped up to look like they were sleeping to not freak out other passengers." - u/
Since they sometimes go on multiple flights per day, they've seen and heard it all before. This means every joke, every flirty line, request, and complaint.
"When flight attendants greet you as you step on the plane, they're doing two things: 1) checking to see if you're drunk/stoned, and 2) checking to see if you're strong/buff, so in the event of an emergency they can tap you in if need be (i.e. need to pull open the emergency door or lift something, etc.)" - u/
Since they have a list with every passenger’s full name and seat number, they will Google you if boredom sets in.
"A significant number of them are homeless. Living out of their suitcase and the crew break room. I was a pilot for a low paying regional airline in the US. The pay for new flight attendants is pathetically low. Since they spend 90% of their lives on the road anyway some don’t have a permanent place to live." - u/
One flight attendant shared that the boiler in the back galley is rarely cleaned thoroughly. So you can just imagine all the germs and mold!
"If you bring a box of chocolates for the flight crew, you will get all the free snacks (and sometimes beers) they can throw at you. My old coworker had been a flight attendant for like 20 years and knew all the secrets. This was his best recommendation for a good flight." -u/
"Food shortage is a thing. And to meet demands, they have to manage with what they can do.
The example told to me was when there is demand for more vegetarian food, they simply remove the non-veg from dishes and serve it." - u/
