FAQ's

During your time on a trip, the company will provide hotel accommodations for each overnight you are away from base. They will also arrange transportation to and from the hotel/airport. The flight attendant is responsible for getting to the airport in their base to start a trip, and any lodging the night before or after a trip, in base.

During times of economic hardship, airlines do what they need to in order to survive. This involves cutting non essential spending wherever possible. These times are usually accompanied by a decrease in the amount of flights the airline operates. This means that the airline needs less staffing to operate their schedule. Because of this, the airline will furlough flight attendants to save costs in payroll, insurance, and other benefits. During furlough, flight attendants are not paid, and usually lose most if not all benefits. Furloughs are done in reverse seniority order, which means the newest flight attendants are furloughed first, followed by those who have been at the company longer. There is no way to know how long a furlough will last, however, during this time, the flight attendant is able to seek other employment.

Each airline has their own policies regarding a new hires first uniform. Some airlines will provide the uniform at no cost to the flight attendant, while others may require the flight attendant to purchase the required pieces for the uniform. In most cases, uniforms can be payroll deducted over time as opposed to being charged in one lump sum. For subsequent uniforms, it is likely that the flight attendant will receive some sort of uniform bank, which will allow them to purchase new pieces over time with company money.

The airline industry lives and dies by seniority. Almost every aspect of the industry is determined by it. When flight attendants are hired, they are added to the seniority list. The number 1 (most senior) flight attendant, is the one who has been with the company the longest. The last (most junior) flight attendant, is the one who has been with the company the least amount of time. As flight attendants quit, retire, get fired, etc., flight attendants below them move up on the list and are replaced by new hires below them. Seniority progression can be fast or slow, but it all depends on the company. When in a new hire class, seniority is usually determined by age amongst the class. Meaning the older new hire is the most senior, and the youngest new hire is the least senior. Seniority dictates many aspects of being a flight attendant, however, some of the most important are monthly schedules, days off, vacation, bases, 401k contributions, flight benefits, and more.

Most airlines require flight attendants to use their vacation a block of days at a time. Unlike most jobs, it is rare to be able to use a couple days of vacation at a time. Vacation is commonly bid on for a year at a time. This means that you will bid for your vacation for the follow year all at once. It will occur in seniority order, which means highly coveted weeks like Christmas or Thanksgiving will most likely be taken first, while less popular weeks will be left for junior flight attendants to get.

Each airline has their own method for determining vacation time and how it is used and accrued. At most airlines, the amount of vacation time you get depends on how long you have worked for that company. As a new hire, you may not be given any vacation time until your first anniversary.

Per diem is additional pay used to compensate flight attendants for being away from base. Historically, it is used to pay for things on the road, like food and drinks. It is usually around $2 and hour that a flight attendant is away from their base. This number varies between companies and may be paid bi-weekly or monthly. Per diem usually increases for trips that are flown to international countries.

Almost every airline pays their flight attendants based on their time "off the gate". They are paid from the time the door closes to the time the door opens. This means that you are not paid for the time that you spend boarding, deplaning, or delayed.

A majority of airlines have what is called a "minimum guarantee". This is a minimum amount of hours a flight attendant will be paid. This number is most likely different at each airline, however for a 30 day month it can be expected to be anywhere from 68-75 hours.

Some airlines have a union, which is an organization that represents the flight attendants to help them get better work rules, pay, and overall look out for their best interest. This comes with a cost which is covered by the flight attendants. This is usually a small portion of your paycheck, typically .5-1%. These dues are then used in a variety of ways to help increase the benefits the flight attendant gets. Most unions require flight attendants to pay dues, however, in some cases you may opt out of paying them.

Every airline has some form of reserve. Reserve is used to cover flying that is uncovered for a large majority of reasons. This can be related to sick calls, delayed crews, dropped flying, etc. Generally, your working days are known, however, you are on call which means you don't know where you could end up. There are usually different types of reserve with varying call out times which determines how much notice the company needs to give the flight attendant prior to showing at the airport. "Airport Standby/Ready Reserve/Hot Reserve" - very short call out time in which the flight attendant is expected to be at the airport in uniform waiting for a call for a specified amount of time. "Short Call Reserve" - short call out time which is usually 1-4 hours in which the flight attendant is required to be in the general geographic location surrounding their base airport. "Long Call Reserve" - long call out time which is usually 12-24 hours in which the flight attendant does not necessarily need to be in the geographic location surrounding their base airport, which means they may attempt to sit at home on call.

Line bidding is a method of bidding in which the company will pre-build all of the schedules ahead of time. Each flight attendant will submit a bid for the lines they want in the order of importance. The company will go down the list in seniority order and award lines based on each flight attendants selection.

PBS or Preferential Bidding System, is a system used to create schedules for each flight attendant. The system goes down the list of flight attendants in seniority order and awards trips to each flight attendant based on their preferences. The more senior you are, the more likely you are to get what you want as a schedule. The more junior you are, the less likely you are to get what you want as a schedule.

A deadhead is flight that is used to reposition a flight attendant from one place to another. You are a passenger and are not working this flight. This can be used to get you to and from base to start a trip, or as a part of your trip to get you into position for your next operating leg. Each airline has their own policy on how you are paid for deadheads. However, most will compensate you for 50-100% of the time spent on the deadhead.

At most airlines, there are those that are line holders, and those that are on reserve. A line holder is a flight attendant whose schedule is populated with trips. These trips are known in advance and generally not able to be modified, which means you know what to expect. Being a line holder generally gives you more flexibility and more control over your schedule. You also know where you are going, when you need to be there, and can plan around work much easier.

At almost every airline, the initial schedule you get via PBS or line bidding is not necessarily final. Airlines usually have other methods of "trip trading" where flight attendants are allowed to adjust their schedules in various ways; to increase or decrease the amount they work, or get specific days off that they need. There is no guarantee that you are able to adjust your schedule as most times there are limits due to staffing, uncovered trips, etc.

In most cases, schedules are bid for one month at a time. All schedules are processed in seniority order, which means those who have been at the airline longest get their choice, prior to those who have just been hired. This dictates things such as trip length, pay, layovers, reserve status or line holder status, and specific days off. There are different methods for bidding schedules, which will be explained in further FAQs.

As a new hire flight attendant, you will most likely get to bid for your first crew base. Bidding is done in seniority order, which can be determined different ways. Most companies use age to determine class seniority (oldest to youngest) however some have been known to use the last 4 of your social security number (9999 to 0000). The company will determine what openings they need to fill, and then they will be bid on in order of seniority. Keep in mind, this can change from class to class. They may not have openings available in every base.

One benefit of being a flight attendant is that you do not need to live where you are based. In fact, a large majority of those in the aviation industry commute to their base. Whether flying or driving, airlines know commuting is a core part of this industry. Each airline may have their own "commuter policy" which specifies the rules you must follow to get to work on time. It may protect you from disciplinary action if you can't make it to work, however, you may or may not get paid for missed flying. This being said, living in base is a huge plus, and can make the job much easier and should not be overlooked.

Airlines will allow flight attendants to change bases through utilization of base bids. Each airline may have a difference in the frequency of these bids; some as frequent as monthly, while others may be as infrequent as yearly. The company will determine the amount of flight attendants they want in each base, and will fill the vacancies in seniority order. Some bases may be very senior (which means it may take months or years until you are able to hold that as your base), while others may be very junior and can be awarded as a new hire or shortly there after.

A crash pad is a term heavily used by the airline industry. Essentially, it is a relatively inexpensive place to stay for those that commute, or do not live in the city they are based. They range in price, usually $200-$500 depending on what amenities are involved. For less money, you are usually sharing a room with multiple people. Some crash pads have private rooms available for more money. Crash pads can drastically reduce the cost of living for those that commute, especially when on reserve. However, they are not for everyone.

Flight attendants can commute however they need to get to work. Most choose to drive or utilize their flight benefits to get to work. Flight benefits differ from airline to airline, however, most allow employees to get unfilled seats on their planes, or in some cases, a cabin jump seat in the event the plane is full. Some cities are harder to commute in and out of than others, so utilizing the forum may be beneficial in determining what to expect from a commute.

Some airlines have extra seats in the cabin of their airplanes called "cabin jump seats". Flight attendants are granted the opportunity to ride in those seats in the event the airplane is full. These seats can be filled one of two ways - first come first served, or seniority based. Some airlines award the jump seat to more senior flight attendants first, while others award it to the flight attendant who checked in first. Depending on interline agreements, flight attendants may be able to jump seat on other airlines as well. Priority is always given to employees of the company operating the flight. (Example: A Delta flight attendant has priority over a Jetblue flight attendant on any flight operated by Delta)