I Was a Flight Attendant for 16 Years — Here’s Why Life at 35,000 Feet Wasn’t as Great as It Seems
Many people dream of a working life at 10,000 meters altitude and think that being a flight attendant is a glamorous profession.
But Skye Taylor, 49, who worked as a flight attendant for 16 years, says it’s not as great as it seems.
The former flight attendant told MailOnline that wages are low and many crew members rarely get to sit on the beach.
She found a solution to her lack of money: she left the air and became an X-rated cam girl, sharing explicit footage live on the internet in exchange for money.
Skye claims that when she started her career in the aviation industry, everything was different.
Skye Taylor (above, in uniform), 49, worked as a flight attendant for 16 years, but reveals it’s not all it seems. She says the industry is plagued by low pay
The ex-flight attendant, who eventually moved up to Virgin Atlantic, said: ‘Before Covid we were treated very well, in America we got big discounts and free extras. With Virgin we got seven free flights a year, so you could travel with your family.
‘The benefits were very good, but the salary wasn’t that great, especially after Covid, and I can’t blame my ex-airline for that.
“I blame the government for ruining aviation, taking away workers’ rights and making it very difficult to do your job and live at the same time.”
Skye believes that flight attendants should be paid the same as train conductors.
She explained, “I don’t think so. [the wages] are fair to everyone when we work so hard. A train conductor gets £30,000 – we didn’t get paid nearly that much.
‘Years ago things were going really well, but then the government changed the rules and we got a standard wage. That cost us a lot of money.’
According to gov.ukthe starting salary for a flight attendant is just £15,000.
Skye adds: ‘I think the constant changes and not having a really good income was the reason I left, which was quite scary at my age.
‘Because I had to do other jobs on top of my crew job, I was just permanently exhausted, with health problems popping up all the time, which is understandable because you work yourself to death and then have to go to another job to try and make money to live. It’s just very, very unfair.’
She continued: ‘The best part of the job was always the travel. You knew you weren’t getting a big salary, but you were seeing the world.
Skye said: ‘The best part of the job has always been the travelling. Now the government seems to have eroded that lifestyle’
“I was also lucky enough to sit on a Caribbean beach for four or five days. That doesn’t happen on every airline. Well, certainly not in the UK. I think US airlines treat their crew very, very well.
‘Now it’s very bad… we want to get you back to base as quickly as possible so we can operate as many flights as possible.
‘I knew I didn’t have a well-paying job, but I had a great lifestyle.
‘Now the government seems to have eroded that lifestyle. And I had less money after Covid than when I started.’
She also hopes to entice her colleagues in the cabin to join her in webcamming.
Skye said: ‘I’m actually starting my own business, first class models, which will be a cam agency and I want to help the cabin crew because that’s something they can do.
‘Of course they may not want to go the adult route, but it certainly provides them with an income when they are on the road. Your job involves a lot of waiting and sitting alone in a room with your phone.
‘That’s my main focus right now: trying to help the cabin crew community and women.
“I just want to help them because it’s very hard to find a new job. You have to do a great job in your first job, you have to be on standby and you have to be fully committed to flying. And things can change.”
‘You know, you might get stuck because of the weather, so [cam work would be] ‘Another job to supplement your income.’
