7 Fun Facts About Flight Attendants
Flight attendants have a job like no other and besides the flight attendant vloggers and the newest HBO Max show nobody outside the industry really knows what our lives are like. Trust me not only is our job interesting but it makes our lifestyle interesting as well. My closest friends and family are still confused about how my job and life work. I can’t tell you all our secrets but here are 10 fun facts about flight attendants that you probably don’t know.
1. We Sleep in one Bed and Eat in the Other
Even though I do love having a king size bed it is nice to have somewhere to eat. Oh you think we eat at the desk after walking up and down the aisle all day serving coke and pretzels? Nah. We plug in our Hot Logic, take our uniform off and eat while laying down. Then when we’ve gotten plenty of crumbs everywhere and are getting tired we switch over to the other bed to go to sleep. Don’t judge us.
2. We forget where we are
As you’ve probably started to understand just from the first fun fact, we aren’t as put together as we appear. Flight attendants are the queens of faking it. However, we go so many places and enter so many time zones a week that it’s hard to keep track. I have thought I was going to Detroit when I was really going to Atlanta several times. I’ve also had to open up my hotel room curtain and take a look around to remember what city I’m laying over in. It’s a part of the lifestyle and we all just go with it and see where it takes us.
3. All About the Groceries
Here’s one of my fun facts that I doubt you’ll guess about flight attendants. We love to go to grocery stores on our layovers. You thought we were out partying around the city meeting celebrities and being as glamorous as possible. Not a chance. I’m stocking up at the Trader Joe’s or getting sub sandwich at Publix. The most exciting it’s going to get is when I get a Paris layover and have to stock up on that good French butter. If you know you know.
4. Flight Attendants Have Multiple Homes
I currently have an apartment in Boston and one in New York because I live and work in different states. Most airlines don’t require you to live where you’re based so it’s up to you if you want to make your life harder by commuting. We usually have our actual homes and then what we call Crashpads, which are essential Hostels for flight attendants. I’m not a fan of them because I like to have my own space so I just rent an apartment with a few flight attendant friends of mine.
5. Flight Attendants Have Their Own Language
As with most industries we have our own language that doesn’t make any sense to other people. Words like Jumpseat, NonRev, Standup, Purser and Reserve are just a few examples of words we use almost every day.
We also have code words for saying goodbye to passengers to signal to another crew member that we thought that passenger was cute or rude or whatever the case may be. We might say things like buh bye or come see us again. I even flew with this guy once who would ask me if I’d been to SMF (Sacramento Airport) recently, and he told me that meant he thought that passenger was a Sexy Mother…well you get the point.
6. We can Fly Somewhere Just for the Day
Since we fly for free we can go anywhere at any time as long as there is a seat available. I’ve gone to visit friends just for the day before and then flown home. I also flew to Little Rock, AK just to go to a brewery I wanted to check out. It also comes in handy in emergencies when you need to get to family quickly or have to go pick something up that would be too expensive to ship.
7. The Last But Most Important Fun Fact: We Are Trained For Way More Than Pouring Cokes
Every Airline has a different training but they typically last 4-8 weeks. Flight attendants learn how to perform CPR, fight fires, practice self defense and learn about security protocols. Then they spend a couple days on customer service. Basically by the time they’ve hired you, they hope that you already now how to do that. Also since each airline has it’s own training, if you decided to go work for another company you have to complete their training.
That’s all the fun facts about flight attendants that I’ve got for you. The rest will have to remain a secret for now. If you have questions please comment below or contact me and I’d love to answer them in another fun facts post! If you want more now, check out my previous post about boarding an aircraft & why flight attendants secretly hate it so much!
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No, there are height requirements at each airline. At some point during the interview process you will have to do a height test to make sure you are tall enough to reach everything in the companies largest plane. This is to make sure you can access medical equipment and close overhead bins.
It really varies depending on the schedule they bid for and what they can hold at their seniority at the company. Some flight attendants work only one leg per day while others work 4-5. This also changes constantly based on flight schedules and availability.
Yes they do. As long as there is a seat available they can fly almost anywhere in the world for free. They only have to pay taxes for each flight which is a small fee to pay and most flight attendants don’t even notice as it comes directly out of their paycheck. They also get to put a couple people onto their flight benefits allowing their family members or close friends to fly for free as well.
18 Comments
Katherine
Flight attendants have my immense respect. I can hardly keep it together on the long haul flights that I’m a passenger on. I have no idea how you all fly such long journeys while serving food and drink, keeping your hair so perfect, and smiling so much. I can totally understand why you’d forget where you are sometimes.
hoppyfa
It’s definitely not easy! Some days I’m also not sure how we do it! Haha!
Megan
So cool! I love that you have code words for things that aren’t flight-related. I’m going to listening closely next time u get off a plane! 😉
hoppyfa
You’ll definitely have to listen closely! Haha!
Adriana
#3 made me giggle! I’m exactly the same way when I travel to a new place. I always wanna know what they’ve got in stock at their grocery stores or farmers markets, lol.
Love this little insight into flight attendant life!
hoppyfa
It’s crazy how different grocery stores are all over the place! I love finding new snacks! Haha!
Kayla
Love this article. The first point actually made me laugh out loud. So funny that one bed is for meals and one bed is for sleeping!
hoppyfa
Haha glad I could make you laugh!!
Hannah Marie
I have so much respect for every flight attendant I’ve ever met! You all put up with so much every day & this post helps me understand that even more than before. I always try my best to be kind, say thank you, and not be difficult whenever I fly, but I know you all have to deal with some real… stinkers too, lol!
hoppyfa
We definitely deal with some difficult people, but passengers like you make it all worth it!
Melissa Miller
So respect the grocery store hauls! Haha. I’m that way with gas stations when traveling for work. I like to collect hot sauces ha! So much respect for your work! Thanks for sharing a little piece of what it’s like.
hoppyfa
Oooh yum! I love a good hot sauce! WaWa has to be my favorite gas station so far.
Franny
The having your own code has me so i intrigued! I have so much respect for flight attendants especially during this pandemic!
hoppyfa
Aww thank you! We are doing our best!
Venaugh
I always wanted to be an air hostess and travel around. But as I got older, I dont think I can manage all the flying, the pressure I get in my head makes me feel like I’ll explode. I didnt expect grocery shopping to be a thing nor crashpads!
hoppyfa
It’s definitely hard to be flying all the time, it takes a toll on your health!
Clarice
Such an interesting read! Being a flight attendant has such a glamorous vibe, but I imagine it can be an extremely demanding career. I didn’t know there was a height requirement, but makes sense. I probably wouldn’t make the cut! 😳
hoppyfa
Haha I think a few shorties pass by because I somehow end up closing a lot of overhead bins on our bigger aircrafts!