- Chelsea (not her real name) is a 35-year-old veteran flight attendant for a major US airline.
- She loves the travel and perks of the job, but says she's ready for mask mandates to be over.
- Here's what her job is like, as told to writer Jill Robbins.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a flight attendant for a major US airline who asked to remain anonymous to protect her privacy. Her identity and employment have been verified by Insider. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
I've been a flight attendant for 14 years. I'm also a hiring ambassador for my airline, and I assist during recruiting events.
Since I fly for a domestic carrier, the situation with flights over Russian and Ukrainian airspace doesn't impact me, but I've heard other crews talk about transporting Ukrainians who are fleeing and coming to the US to stay with family. I'd be honored to transport anyone displaced from their country — in a time of crisis, I think people should rally together to help others.
When the pandemic started, I was getting ready to come back from maternity leave that May. I ended up switching my maternity leave to a COVID-19 leave of absence so I could stay out longer. My airline offered this option, and I took it because there were so many unknowns about COVID-19 at the time. I didn't return to flying until December 2020, and by then, I was eager and ready to go back.
With a baby, a 3-year-old, and an older child who needed help with virtual learning, the transition back was tough, but we made it work. Since my whole job is traveling, it was pretty awesome for my kids to have their mom home for almost two years.
Passengers are mostly good about wearing masks and usually don't give us a hard time when we enforce the rules
I think it's all in how you remind them, your tone of voice. Some crew turn a blind eye when passengers don't wear masks correctly. Others go through the cabin with a flashlight when people are asleep to check.
Currently, our airline still requires masks. Mask wear at 40,000 feet is hard, especially on long flights. The aircraft is loud, and communication is hard when our faces are covered. Personally, I'm ready for the mask mandates to be over.
Still, I'm happy to be flying — it's incredible to see full flights again. Our airline has thankfully been profitable throughout the pandemic, and we've had flight attendant applications open up twice in the past year, which is a great sign that the industry is growing again.
Traveling is what I love the most about my job
I'm what we call a "slam clicker" on layovers, which means I shut my hotel door, click the lock, and don't see fellow crew members until we show up to fly again. Layovers are my time for myself. I'll read, work out, and hike. I'm a huge foodie and try to explore the local food scene.
Another aspect I enjoy about being a flight attendant is meeting people, both flight crew and passengers. It's incredible hearing people's stories from all over the world.
When dealing with unhappy passengers, I always try to approach the situation with a smile
I smile, let them know I understand where they're coming from, and suggest ways to fix the problem based on what I can do. This is the Feel, Felt, Found method, which I've been using for about nine years, and it works wonders at 40,000 feet. I actually learned this method from a parenting book, and I use it on my kids too.
Some passengers are great, but others can be difficult or simply gross. I've seen multiple people clip their toenails during food and beverage service. Also, changing a diaper on the tray table is disgusting. We have changing tables in the bathrooms.
The worst passenger encounter I've had was when a drunk woman boarded the plane wearing one ski boot and one flip flop. When I approached her after she hit a passenger in the head with her bag and knocked his glasses off, she said, "I'll do it again," and punched his face! I grabbed her arm and walked her off the plane and everyone clapped when I walked back down the aisle.
If I could give an airline-etiquette PSA, I'd say I wish more passengers knew:
- Middle seat armrests are for the middle seat passenger — both of them.
- If you do yoga in the back galley, your butt is in my face.
- The "water" on the bathroom floor is pee.
Other things I don't love about my job: vomit and sleep schedules
I have compassion for people who get sick on the plane because I know how uncomfortable that is and they can't do much about it in the air. Unless they throw up because they're hung over, in which case I'll hand them a towel and say, "You can clean that up yourself; here's a towel." Other times I've offered moms my own extra T-shirt so they don't have to fly with their kid's vomit on their shirt.
Changes in sleep schedules are also hard, but after 14 years, I've figured it out. I nap when I can and almost never eat over processed airplane food — I bring home-cooked meals on the plane.
You absolutely can be a flight attendant and have an incredible family life
I'm married with kids, and my husband and I are a great team. My in-laws are also great and help out when we need them.
Since I have seniority with my airline, I fly about once a week. I have plenty of time at home, and I like having time for myself on layovers to recharge. Sometimes, my in-laws stay with our kids and my husband flies with me and we'll get to spend time together on layovers.
Meeting wonderful passengers is another highlight of the job
I remember one gentleman who brought his 92-year-old, terminally ill grandma on her first-ever flight. They flew to Chicago and back the same day, and they had the time of their lives in first class. I loved that I got to be a part of her fun memory of flying.
Another favorite memory I have from work is when a passenger on a flight from Alaska gave us incredible, warm smoked salmon — it was delicious.
For people interested in becoming a flight attendant themselves, it's important that you're easy to talk to, able to think fast, and have a servant's heart. I'd also recommend starting as early as possible — I started when I was 21 and have been flying for 14 years. Now I have seniority with my airline and can bid for the routes I prefer.