Singapore Expats

I have no intention of discrediting anyone by writing this,this is my personal experience,read it if you care to.

I have been a flight stewardess for 10years,and am currently still flying.I must admit,life has not been a bed of roses,but it is certainly no hell either,contrary to some popular beliefs.

I have not worked elsewhere,so I am in no position to compare what the outside working environment would be.But then again,any other job would be totally different from flying,I reckon.Higher customer expectations,different working schedules,different ways of doing things..etc.

Is my life glamorous?Depends on what your definition of "glamour" is,I supposed.Do I clean up messes?I do,it is part and parcel of my job,and I have no qualms about it.Do I get vomits on ALL my flights?The answer is no..But if there is vomit,do I clean up?If it can be accomplished,I will do it.

Yes,many people have misconceptions about what flight stewardesses can do.And I DO NOT EXPECT anyone to understand what my job requires of me.Yes,serving coffee and tea is part of the job.But also, (1)being a care-giver-looking after children and old folks and sick passengers (2)first aiders-providing first aids when necessary (3)Fire fighters-if there is a fire (4)Engaging in public relations,trying to market your company to potential,or returning customers (5)Most importantly,knowing what to do in an emergency evacuation.The list goes on...

I get to travel to Europe,USA,Asia,Australia,Africa,basically the 5 continents.I have acquired an immense amount of worldly knowledge not taught to me in school.I have made friends from all over the world.I have also been (un)fortunate enough to witness poverty and famine in 3rd world countries,and for that,I count my blessings everyday.

Like I said before though,flying is not a bed of roses..I have witnessed and encountered unpleasant experiences.How do I stay focused and positive after all these years?"Do not dwell on negative things in life.Rather,concentrate on the good things-things that help you grow mentally,spiritually,emotionally"

I am proud to say I am a flight stewardess!

YOU have motivated me! Good job!

Hi there,
am proud of you after many years of flying. I hope one day my dream may come true.
But due to the requirement given at the post I have so much to brush up (improving myself) in order to fit into this. Anyway thanks for telling us this. Am will appreaciated and take note.

You have to proud of your job - whatever it is - You signed up for it and have an obligation to give your best. If this is your dream, you know the challenges ahead - Go for it. If not, think carefully and improve yourself first.

Weigh the pros and cons of every job - if you take up a cabin crew position overseas - you need to realise you may not come home so frequently and you have to wait for leave to be approved. If you take a local one, you have to find a surety for your bond, etc. Carefully consider the facts before you pursue it. There are positivities in the job obviously, but remember there are equally negative factors as well.

Emotionally you have to be strong - Remember during 1-1 you usually get someone who may act stern to see how you react? It's all preparation for the real job.

One thing motivation. You motivate yourself. It could be money. It could be something else. Don't expect a onboard motivator. We are too busy in the galley and doing service to bother about that!

Have I gained wonderful experiences - Yes. Have I gained negative experiences. Yes. Anyone who claims it is a bed of roses, glamour, "travel", stress-free is just plain high on crack!

Tuesday, my regards and glad you're doing well

Toy girl,

Am really sorry that you have encountered so much unpleasantries whilst you were flying.On the other hand,am glad that you have found a suitable job for yourself.Whatever it is you are doing,I hope that you are a much happier person now,than you were before.

About being motivated,i believe motivation comes from one self,it is really how you perceive things.I have personally worked with good and fair crew who inspired me to work even harder.I have also worked with "awful" crew,and because of them,i have vowed to be a much better person than they ever will be.

Have to go now,getting ready for work!Yippee!

And just for the record,not every stewardess acts.

tuesdayisbest wrote:I have no intention of discrediting anyone by writing this,this is my personal experience,read it if you care to.

I have been a flight stewardess for 10years,and am currently still flying.I must admit,life has not been a bed of roses,but it is certainly no hell either,contrary to some popular beliefs.

I am proud to say I am a flight stewardess!

tuesday,

Your post is a postive post I must admit. The ability to gloss over all the bad crap so smoothly is testamony to your ability to handle passengers when they get out of hand. Your ability would also hold you in good stead as a politian as well.

I am glad that the airline you fly with is free of the backbiting, backstabbing and generally bitchyness that is prevalent in most airlines I been flying on for the past 25-35 years. That said, I don't fly on SIA, budget carriers or Middle Eastern carriers for several reasons not of which concern the quality of service. If the internal politiking is there, it would give you a leg up in the credibility department to admit it does exist as well as the other problems (these problems, politiking, are in any industry or business by the way. You indicated you never worked anywhere else so maybe you just cannot see it for what it is. Anyway, it is good to be so positive but not really fair to the wannabe's by painting a overly rosy picture.

sms

sunday,

Thank you for your comments,but I am not sure why you think I am "painting a overly rosy picture" for the FA wannabes.I am just speaking from my experiences.

And to say that,i quote, "the airline you fly with is free of the backbiting, backstabbing and generally bitchyness that is prevalent in most airlines" is quite unfair.Nowhere in my previous post did i mention that the airline that I am working in is all that you said.

I have come across my fair share of "bitchyness","unfairness","backstabbing".I just do not wish to harp on that!

Would it be better if I had shared with everyone the unpleasantries that I have encountered?What is wrong with being positive?

And just because I have not worked elsewhere does not mean I do not have friends that are working beyond the airline industry.Politics will be everywhere,if you choose to participate,so be it.I am not ignorant,I just do not want to be a part of the "internal politics",if I can help it.

I am writing all these because I am so tired of all the negative comments about being a flight attendant.I do not think my posting will persuade anyone to join,if they do not wish to in the 1st place!

Whatever we want in life,is what we make of it.

I believe every jobs for its pros and cons. Even if encounter bad issue or dislike people in a particular job, it does not reflect bad about the job or even condamn the job. BE POSITIVE GERS!!

Cheers!

Acting - Ever worked with minimum crew on a full load? Acting you have things under crowd - or being asked to lead because no one takes responsibility? - Trying to convince passengers on matters beyond your control. Getting scolded, rushed or bullied and smiling after that - It really humbles you. Trust me.

Every flight has been different - I worked with both local and international crew before and I find local crew generally "challenging". International crew tend to be easier to work with based on my overseas experience.

Not all are actresses, some are just born with it. Some are really nice, some are gems. I think it is fair to paint a balanced viewpoint on this career. To denegrate anyone who says anything negative is just plain censorship. You have admitted that these things do occur - It is how you deal with it. For some fresh 19 or 20 year old, it can prove challenging or emotionally difficult. I am just sharing experiences so that people know what they are getting themselves into.

Do I consider this a great career for someone who is highly educated - Enter with caution. Do I consider this job a long term job - Depends on your life goals.

Reflect whether this a right career for yourself. I know of girls who make it past all the interviews and then reject it. Or girls vanishing after a few flights. Make sure you know everything in detail before committing yourself.

Working on board is different from working on ground - Office hours, if you're based with a carrier in the Middle East, you probably have flights around 2am there. Crew welfare is very important for me - Some airlines take this seriously, some don't really bother.

Ultimately, this is a high turnover industry. Fresh people come in, people go as well. No one is putting a gun to your head to make you stay. I think this is a wonderful job for the short term provided you are emotionally able to withstand pressure and physically healthy.

I really wish everyone good luck in their choice of endeavours.

P.S. - Gliny, not sure whether you're under a MSO or MXO scheme at MFA. But I doubt if you ever return to civil service or the private sector, you won't be getting any promotion to MX10 or MX9 anytime soon with cabin crew experience!

Tuesday - Have a good flight

tuesdayisbest,
Thank you for your post and welcome to the board. Like many other people you have found a job you are happy with although the fact that you have not worked any where else probably helps. By that I mean when you started you did not know anything else and just 'buckled' down to what you were doing and found it to your liking. By now it has become your routine like many of your colleagues.

Life is often a game of 'swings and roundabouts' and somebody else in the same position may have hated it and left very quickly as many do. The problem for some on this board and elsewhere is they are young and too easily taken it by the apparent glamour of flying to far off places, staying in good hotels, assuming it will all be fun,fun, fun. All these things are possible as you of course know but there are the serious aspects to the job, security, passenger emergencies fears and anxieties, passenger dissatisfaction, discomfort, verbal abuse and the unexpected the list is long. Perhaps you might care to enlarge on some of these as there are many features of your job like my previous the public never see.

Plavt.

Okay, going to be brief on this part

Job security - Depending on the airline you work in - a passenger complaint may or may not result in dismissal - Complaints are thoroughly investigated and you will be called to the office to get statements recorded. If you are in the wrong, you will have a permanent mark in your file and you can kiss any promotion goodbye. Contracts make it easy for dismissal as well.

Good hotels - Depends, some hotels suck and lots of silly ghost stories of haunted hotel rooms.

pronounication - your english has to be excellent. some very very sarcastic customers will make fun if you mispronounce words and giggle.

Passenger emergencies - Anxiety attacks, child birth, shock, burns, heart attack, cuts, sprains, terrorists on board, abusive passengers (most airlines I know have zero tolerance nowadays, but I know some Asian airlines due to "hospitality" issues still try to manage it and try to accede to requests.

Intoxicated passengers - Pax who want alcohol when they are drunk, how you decline politely, or what I normally do (adulterate drinks so content is lower) - some drunk pax can be a pain because they end up pulling people or some will stand up and talk rubbish.

you also have to learn security procedures - i know how to handcuff and restrain a passenger - thank god i did additional training on that and fighting fires in case it happens.

you need to know your wines well, what goes with what, how to present it - all gracefully.

some passengers may touch you weirdly - it is not molest, it is just they don't know how to get your attention. i got pinched once! funny right! - but true!

i hate it when passengers think i am a biohazard, one moron clipped his toenails and fingernails and gave me his nails together with this phlegm in an plastic cup - i wanted to choke him but i smiled and continued.

passengers fainting - some are diabetic, some have emergency MEDIK AWAS card on them. some may have needles for insulin and dunno how to dispose of them and leave them lying.

some pax could smell bad - oh yeah -reaaaally bad but you still gotta go up to them and just say "Mr Brown, for today's menu, we have a choice of XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, what would you like to have?" and smile all while containing your laughter at his accent or whatever.

Passengers missing connections and you get yelled at - I usually pass them to the ground staff - I try to pacify them on board before "dumping" them to ground staff.

Rushing while trying to complete a service. Getting scalded, getting cuts, accidentally forgetting to arm the door! - Stuff like that.

Sexually aroused predator on board - Diplomatically refusing advances - okay, if he's hot it's ok - NOT! :p

oh yeah - you'll get cheapstakes who want "free" upgrade to first or biz class and make a hoo-ha over the food sometimes - i get the "i want whatever first class is having" - you also get unusual situations - like a passenger praying on board loudly and trying to be culturally sensitive as well.

You also have to deal with the "complaint-24/7" pax - they basically come prepared and want a lot of freebies - can i have more of these and these... and keep buzzing you.

Unaccompanied minors who run off and having to keep an eye on them - some kids can really make you go nuts -

Mileage problems - Try best to help and then refer to ground staff.

Accounting of liquor, sometimes you make errors and you can have problems.

public relations - they may ask you questions on the destination, what to do there, trying to have conversation, you also have to small talk with them as well - i'm good at that! - you get lots of name cards as well. basically smile and laugh when they say silly things pretending you enjoy their conversation! - "mr brown, how are you today?, oh i see you're going for business?" - blah blah blah "i'm samatha and how's everything so far" - some men will look at you and ................................. their wives go !@#$#%$%@##

Passengers who are new to flying. Babies who keep crying. Children who keep running around. people who want to catch photos with you.

Trying to guide newbies who are too enthusiastic but slow down the service during a quick flight. safety issues - seating assignments - like if someone is too young to sit in a exit row, or how would you deal with passengers who are abusive - personally i have zero tolerance - first time, i say the reason and how i can help them, second time, i smile and explain - third time i signal to chief who informs first officer or captain who will make decision whether to offload passenger and they get arrested once we land or we divert to another destination if he's a threat.

Foreign passengers who have communication difficulty. i usually pull out the dishes and show to them - sometimes i even draw "CHICKEN" and "BEEF" once - don't ask me what happen. Medical cases on board - Pax died on board - Once occured to me.

dirty lavatory - depends on the airline - for some airlines, if it too filthy, we lock the lavatory and redirect to other lavatories, otherwise, get ready to clean!

oh yeah - catering screw ups - meals missing or special meals not on board - you get passengers who will freak you upside down.

racist passengers - yeah you do get that. some may think they are high class so you gotta just smile and try to "win" them over.

There's so many situations? It's never the same........ NEVER! but i like the customer contact. it's fun - some people will view you like you're low class servants - some nationalities actually view service jobs lowly at times.

at the end of the flight, it's not over, you gotta check the plane, do some more clearing up.

positives - compliments and connections - you never know the passenger may be some CEO, wow-ed by your service and offer you a job!, job satisfaction of doing a job-well done. passengers who honestly appreciative and don't view you like you're trash.

ok, been writing too much! - i feel like i should write one of the "I WAS A FLIGHT ATTENDANT BOOK" and earn cash! Hahahahahahahah

Hah..i think there are already many books on that subject! My friend collects them..think she has about 10 now!

merliongal26 wrote:Hah..i think there are already many books on that subject! My friend collects them..think she has about 10 now!

Care to list them here? They may be of use for those who have a serious interest in being cabin crew. I think many have already heard of 'Coffee Tea or Me' and aren't impressed for whatever reasons.

Thanks for any help.

Plavt.

Me too..

i love being a FA.

And i feel peeps shldn't compare companies no matter which airline they are from.

Plavt wrote:

merliongal26 wrote:Hah..i think there are already many books on that subject! My friend collects them..think she has about 10 now!

Care to list them here? They may be of use for those who have a serious interest in being cabin crew. I think many have already heard of 'Coffee Tea or Me' and aren't impressed for whatever reasons.

Thanks for any help.

Plavt.

Who wrote "Coffee tea or me"? I've never heard of it