Q.  What is deadheading?

A. In aviation speak, deadheading is a phrase used to position a flight crew member as part of their scheduled trip.  The term “positioning” is also used.

A Flight Attendant who is deadheading is on duty, that it, s/he is traveling on a particular flight under orders of the company, and is not a pleasure travel.  They may or may not be in uniform, that policy varies among airlines.  They will likely occupy a regular passenger seat on the airplane, although on some carriers they may be in a jump seat.  Some airlines allow deadheading crew members to sleep, others do not.

A deadheading leg may occur at the beginning, end, or in the middle of a scheduled trip.

Here are some examples::

• The first leg of a trip (flight) is deadheading to Hawaii, and then the following day, work the trip back to your home domicile (where the trip started).
• The first flight of the day is working from your home domicile to San Francisco, and then you deadhead the next leg to Oakland, and then fly from Oakland back to your home domicile.
• The first flight of the day is working from your home domicile to Chicago, and you then deadhead home (back to your home domicile).

In essence, deadheading is a way of getting a flight crew member where they need to be to work a trip, or to get them home at the end of a trip.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Marty asks:

Q.  I was wondering what flexibility you have, if any, in choosing what hotel to stay at?  I’m imagining that you probably have to stay at the airport location for whatever hotel chain that your airline has designated?  Is it the same chain in every city?  And can you stay somewhere other than the chain’s airport hotel?  Also, are there situations where the airline might give you an allowance to seek more permanent accommodations in a city that you are often having layovers in?  i.e. enough to get a shared apartment, etc?

A. Hotel costs are a huge budget item for airlines, and, as you can imagine, every effort is taken to save every single penny that can be saved.  It’s the ultimate standoff – with the people who are staying in the hotels wanting comfortable, well appointed, and conveniently located hotels, and the people paying the bill for the hotels needing to crunch the numbers and to negotiate the lowest possible contract rates.

While the process is handled differently, depending on the airline, the over arching issue is the same.  At most airlines that I’m familiar with, there is a Hotel Committee of Flight Attendants, of Pilots, and a counterpart for the Airline.  These three parties each have a list of what they require in a hotel (often set by contract) and what they’d like in a hotel.

Word is put out to hotels to determine who might be interested in having flight crews stay there.  Not everyone wants us, as it usually is at a seriously discounted rate.  In return, however, the hotel is guaranteed a number of booked rooms each month.  When there is a list together of interested hotels, representatives from the Flight Attendants, Pilots, and Airline will schedule onsite inspections.  Additional considerations will include the distance from the hotel (travel time will eat into crew rest), transportation to and from the airport, availability of restaurants, etc.

After all that, it will come down to money.  Sometimes a hotel will offer a lower rate if you choose their property in several cities.  Sometimes you want locations in a city, but can’t get it.  It varies tremendously, and there really isn’t any consistency.  It’s all about the money.

You are not generally required to stay at the crew hotel.  For example, many Flight Attendants commute to a base other than where they live, and bid for layovers at home.  However, the crew hotel is the only place where the airline will pick up the tab for the expense.  The airline direct pays for the hotel.

That’s the basic process, and although there will be some variations, it will essential be the same from airline to airline.

Thanks for the question, Marty!

—

Is there something that you’d like to know about the job or lifestyle of being a Flight Attendant?  You can email me your questions, and I’ll answer them in a future Flight Attendant Friday.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Q.  Do you use your travel benefits?  Where do you go?  How often?  How do you decide?

A.  This is not quite as easy of a question as it might seem.  Much depends on how much time is available, the time of year, if I’m traveling with a friend, alone, or with a group of people, and, of course, the available budget.

For quick getaway weekends of only 2-3 days, that probably means sticking close to the west coast.  Favorite cites for that would be:  Las Vegas (great shows and restaurants, nice hotel resorts, and something to do 24/7), San Francisco, or Phoenix.

For extended weekends (4-5 days), some additional favorites include New York City, Washington DC, Hawaii, Boston, and I’ve even done Paris in 5 days.  Yes, I had 5 days (including travel days) and went to Paris.  It was great!

Deciding where to go is tougher than it sounds.  In addition to considering where I’d actually like to go, and what I’d like to see, I have to take into account passenger loads on the flights that I want to travel on.  Since we fly “space available,” if it’s a time of year or destination where flights are full, it’s going to make it complicated.  I look for flights that aren’t booked full, and try to travel at off-peak times.

Travel passes are a GREAT airline perk, and once you figure out how to use them, are a great benefit.  But if I really have to be somewhere on a set schedule, especially if I’m flying with a group of people, it’s easier to buy a ticket.

Where do you go on a short getaway weekend?  What about a longer one?

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

He asks —

Q.  How do couples with a FA or pilot partner survive such a lifestyle in the beginning of their relationship as well as during their married life?   How are their schedules made?  Are they all made at the last minute depending on reservations?

A.  This is a great question!  Relationships with a Flight Attendant, and their crazy schedule, hours, and lifestyle, can be a challenge for the non-crew side of the relationship.  Flight Attendants are quick to understand, appreciate, commiserate, and accommodate another Flight Attendant’s schedule.  Even when that person is at a different airline, we “get” the issues.  When you don’t come from the business, it will take you some time.

Far be it from me to give relationship and dating advice, but here are some things to consider if you’re getting involved with someone in our business.

The scheduling side of things varies by airlines, but involves a process where Flight Attendants bid for their schedule based on seniority.  If you’ve been around awhile, you’ll hold more desirable trips and days off.  If you are at the bottom of the food chain, you may find yourself sitting reserve.  Reserve is when you don’t have a fixed schedule for the month, but are waiting for scheduling to call you to cover a sick call, misconnect, or some other scheduling problem.  It doesn’t matter if you’re just sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner, if you get the call on reserve, you put on your uniform and go.  We generally know our schedules for a month at a time, or about 6 weeks out at most.

On top of the scheduling process, is the ability to trade trips around.  This means that you can always try to better your schedule.  Again, the more senior you are, the more someone will be interested in trading.  But regardless, it can seem to the outsider like your schedule is always in flux and never settled.  This can drive people crazy!

You need to ask yourself if you can handle this flexible schedule, and wait out the period of time that it takes for a partner to become senior enough to hold a good schedule.  Someone in a 9-5, Monday-Friday, job may have problems with this.  On the other hand, relationships can be easier to balance when at least one person has a more consistent schedule.  Be honest about how flexible you really are.

Another question to ask yourself is if having a partner available on weekends and holidays is a deal breaker.  If it is, you need to have a long talk about scheduling.  For many Flight Attendants it can be years before they hold weekends off, and sometimes a decade or so to hold Christmas off.  If you can adjust your thinking about what’s a weekend, and learn to celebrate holidays on the road or on different days, you can make it work.

For many people, travel is exotic and exciting.  When you have to deal with a partner’s travel schedule it may be more frustrating.  It’s nice to have someone to talk to when you come home, and if no one is home, you have to be careful not to take it out on the absentee partner.  When they do come home, they’ll be tired and exhausted.  They need time to breath and relax before you hit them with information about car trouble, the cat at the vet, the dryer needs to be repaired, and asking if they paid the electric bill.  You’re ready for conversation and interaction.  They’ve been doing it for days, and just need a little personal space.

Finally, you need to ask yourself if you are a jealous person.  We work with lots of people and we form relationships.  When we are on the job, we must rely on our working partners to have our back – and sometimes that can mean saving our life.  We’re close.  And while there certainly are relationships that form in the workplace, in the vast majority of situations, we’re just good friends.  Is it going to bug you if you find out your partner is having dinner with a co-worker?  If they’re not at the crew hotel, are you going to jump to conclusions, or are you going to understand that any number of things could happen that could result in them being at a different hotel.  Or even a different city.  Can you deal with not being able to talk to your partner without worrying that they’re cheating on you?  Jealousy and jumping to conclusions can just get ugly.

I wish you well, and hope you find happiness with your Flight Attendant.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Here’s what she wants to know:

Q.  My question is do you get breaks whilst on duty? If so, how long are they and how many would you get on a 12 hour flight?, I’m just curious to be honest.

A.  Duty hours for Flight Attendants are regulated by a number of things, the collective bargaining contract (if they are represented by a union), the company policies (if they’re not), and the FAA duty regulations.  The first consideration is the length that you can be scheduled to be on duty.  For me, that’s 10 1/2 hours from the time I check in (one hour prior to scheduled flight departure) to 15 minutes after the plane blocks in at its destination.

During that 10 1/2 hours (it is often less), I do not get any scheduled breaks.  I don’t have a scheduled coffee break, meal break, or bathroom break.  I simply have to grab whatever time that I can to quickly eat and take care of personal needs.  That’s why you will often see Flight Attendants in the galley trying to quickly cram something into their face – it’s been a very long day, and it’s the first chance that we’ve had to eat.

On very long flights, usually international, there are provisions for scheduling extra crew members onboard in order to rotate everyone into a rest period.  But this is only applicable in very limited situations.

So unfortunately, the answer to this question is no.  We don’t get break.  We try to find time to eat after everyone is served and we can grab a few minutes to ourselves.  So please, if you see a Flight Attendant trying to grab a quick bite to eat, realize that it may be the only chance she’s had to eat all day.

Do you have a question that you’ve always wanted to know about the job and the life of a Flight Attendant.  I’m happy to answer all your questions here, so just email me and ask what you are dying to find out.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Q.  If I get an offer from one airline, but I really am hoping to go to work for another, what should I do?

A.  Ask this question of enough Flight Attendants, and you’re sure to get whatever answer you’re looking for.

Given today’s current events, economic situation, and state of the airline industry, my recommendation is to look before you leap.  If being a Flight Attendant is what you really want to do, I’d say take the best of the offers that come your way.  I’m guessing that right now, you’re not going to get too many offers, so it may be a matter of taking the ONLY offer that comes your way.

Getting hired by a commuter carrier, and later applying at a major carrier, is not necessarily a bad thing.

First, you’ll have a proven track record in the business – and that means you’d better had a great record of attendance and performance – and hiring someone who knows how to do the job is easier than taking a chance on someone who may be a questionable fit.

You learn the job, and can experience the benefits of the industry.  Commuter carriers often offer domiciles that may be closer to your home, and that means a few less upheavals in your life as you enter the business.  You’ll learn how to commute (if that’s what you decide to do), how to make schedules work for you, and a lot of tricks of the trade when it comes to scheduling.  Getting all this experience under your belt may be easier at a commuter.

It you really want to fly – the sooner you start, the better.  Why put off doing something you love while you wait for the perfect opportunity – especially when that perfect opportunity might be a long ways off.  Not many airlines are hiring right now, so waiting for a better offer may mean waiting a long time.

Finally, you may never get an offer from your first choice carrier.  Competition for Flight Attendant jobs is very, very tough.  There are often hundreds of applicants for every available opening.  Don’t spend you life waiting for what might not be when you can be enjoying what you want now.

There are a few downsides to leaving one airline for another.  Many are routine job changing issues, meaning you learn one system and set of rules and you then have to learn another.  You’ll adapt.  And bringing some experience with you means that you will have some advantage in learning many things that can be difficult for a new hire to grasp — things like scheduling, trading trips, using job flexibility to work for you.  Systems may be different, but you’ll find they have more in common that not.

The big downside to changing airlines, is that you once again start at the bottom of the seniority list.  And seniority is everything!  Seniority determines your schedule, vacation (how much and when you can take it), days off, rate of pay, position worked on the plane, and many other benefits.  Starting over after a year or two is probably not a big deal.  But, you many people have found themselves so comfortable at a commuter that they’ve decided to stay put.

Do you have a question about what it’s like to be a Flight Attendant?  Please email your question to me, and I’ll cover it in a future Flight Attendant Friday.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

She had lots of questions, and I’ll be sharing them here over the next few weeks because they are questions I regularly here asked about the job.

Q.  I’m concerned about job security and wondered what you think about the future in the airline industry as a flight attendant?   I have a pretty decent job, but I just want to fly.

A. If you’re looking for an industry with job security, I doubt that the airline industry would rank very high up the food chain.

That said, I have been employed in the industry for over 20 years and have never been furloughed (industry term for laid off).  Although many of my friends have gone through the furlough process, I happened to get hired at a time when the industry was expanding and hiring.  I was ahead of the curve, and when the tough times hit, I had enough seniority to get through.

Many long time Flight Attendants who have been concerned about job security, have opted to take early retirement and move on to another career. The industry has changed a lot over the years, and while the job duties have changed, it’s still a job that I enjoy.  I don’t plan to hang up my wings any time soon.

But life is much different for a new hire Flight Attendant than it is in the mid-seniority range where I am.  And since I’ve promised honesty in answering these questions, here are a few things to keep in mind.

• Starting pay is crummy, usually around minimum wage.
• New hires will likely not get their first choice of domicile (the airport they will fly out of).  This means re-locating to a new city.  And even if you choose to have a crash pad and commute, you will have to deal with this added expense, commuting issues involved in getting a seat on a plane, and the time it takes to get to and from work.
• You will have crummy schedules, and have to work weekends and holidays.  Flying is a 24/7 business, and schedules are based on seniority (longevity).  As a new hire, you’ll be working the stuff that no one else wants.
• You will get to fly some good trip.  As a new hire, you will be on “reserve” which means you will cover any uncovered trips.  Usually there is an assortment of crummy stuff that no one else wanted, but you will also cover sick calls.  Flight Attendants flying those great trips will occasionally have to call in sick, and you may get them to cover.

Now before you think I’ve just made it sound like being a Flight Attendant is the worst job in the world, let me reassure you that it will get better.  You will start getting some weekends off, and eventually a holiday or two (though probably not Christmas for a long while).  The schedule and trips will get better, and the pay scale will slowly (very slowly) improve.  We all had to go through it, and if there wasn’t light at the end of the tunnel, we wouldn’t have stuck with it.

If you’re looking for a high paying position with job security, this probably isn’t the job for you.  But if you’re looking to make a change, want the challenge and excitement of working in an environment where no two days are the same, then just could be what you’re looking for.

Image credit:  istockphoto

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

The question today, though, is one that I’ve gotten asked a lot over these past few weeks. 

Q.  Are any airlines hiring Flight Attendants right now?

A.  Not that I know of.  Most of the major carriers, and many of the regional and commuter airlines has furloughed Flight Attendants.  Furlough means layoff. 

Everyone is trying to ride out what looks like a very bumpy year, and that means cutting back on routes.  When you cut back on routes, you have to cut back on people.  So it’s not a good time to be a new hire in the airline industry – whether as a Flight Attendant or at any job function.

You can check specifically with the airline that interests you by visiting their website.  Most airlines have an employment or jobs links.

If your goal is to get hired as a Flight Attendant, there are still things that you can do until the industry turns around.  Get a degree, get some job experience, get involved in compelling work.  It will all give you an edge with the job market loosens up again.

Do you have a question about being a Flight Attendant?  The job, the life, the stories?  Email your question to me.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

I get lots of questions and emails from young men and women (teens) who “want to be a Flight Attendant when they grow up.”  The common thread in the questions is asking what can be done NOW to prepare for the job LATER.

Q.  What can I do now to make sure that I will be hired as a Flight Attendant when I get older?

A.  First of all, it’s important to recognize when LATER might actually be.

Most U.S. carriers have a minimum age requirement of 21.  Some of the smaller regional carriers (also known as commuter airlines) may have a minimum of 18, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

To keep you going till then, here are some suggestions.

1. Stay in school, get good grades, and go to college.  This is a highly competitive job field, and the airlines can be picky.  Show that you have outstanding credentials by doing a good job at everything you do.  Most applicants have college degrees, and nearly all have some level of college education.
2. Get a job, even if it’s part-time, and develop a good employment record.  Airlines need to hire reliable, conscientious employees.  Show that you are committed to your job, whatever that job may be, by developing a solid work ethic of showing up for work, on time, and being a diligent employee.
3. Learn a language, or maybe even two.  I’m not talking about a couple years of high school French.  I’m talking about mastering a language so that you can read, write, and think in something other than English.  Airlines may not require it, but it gives you a leg up.  And all things being equal, you want as much as you can on your side of the equation.
4. Take care of your health.  The job of a Flight Attendant is a physical one.  You need to be able to lift, carry, be on your feet for hours, and live on a irregular schedule.  Start young to develop good health habits that will allow you to perform the duties of the job when you are older.
5. Practice good grooming habits.  While the glamour days of the industry are long gone, this is still a front-line customer service job.  Taking pride in how you look indicates that you will be a good representative of an airline.  All shapes, sizes, and ages are being hired for the job, but basic good grooming skills are required.
6. Travel when you can.  Many people who are hired for the job have never been away from home, so this is definitely not a deal breaker.  However, exposure to what travel is all about (and what’s it’s not) gives you a realistic view of what’s it’s like to live on the road.
7. Be curious.  Curious people have an innate interest in the world around them.  They embrace new experiences, are not afraid of unfamiliar locations and cultures.  It just makes you a more interesting person, and that makes you a more attractive applicant.
8. Hope timing is on your side.  The airline industry goes through its own special cycles of ups and downs.  When you’re finally old enough to start applying, you hope it’s during a growth time in the industry, rather than a time of cutbacks and layoffs.  Is there a best time to get hired?  Generally speaking, it’s always preferable to be hired a the beginning of an upswing.  But if you want to get into the industry, the best time to start is the day you get hired!

_______________________________________

Post from: Fly Away Cafe