Flight attendant talks about the dark side of her ‘exhausting’ job in the air – admits she feels like she’s in ‘a CULT’ and labels her job ‘borderline modern slavery’

A flight attendant has opened up about the dark side of working in the friendly skies, saying she hates everything from the long hours to the inconsiderate passengers.

The anonymous crew member, known only as u/hopelesslynovelless on Reddit, she expressed her dissatisfaction with the demanding job and the airline she works for on the r/flightattendants forum.

“Does anyone else feel like this job is such a joke? It sometimes feels like I’m in some kind of… a cult?’ she started her long post.

She noted that she was “aware that some people absolutely love” being part of the flight crew and that she had “no sympathy at all” for her complaints.

The crew member didn’t name her airline, but she complained about the long hours, inconsiderate passengers and small senior staff

The flight attendant added that she wasn’t looking for anyone to convince her to quit her job because she didn’t have another one lined up and needed the money.

‘I’m just so tired of this job. “I just got back from a 14-hour flight, and before I even left the hotel room to return, I was so over it I wanted to cry,” she said.

The woman noted that she had “relatively demanding jobs” in high school and college, saying she was a waitress and a store clerk.

“I thought I could handle it, but none of them exhausted me that much or actually made me cry,” she admitted.

She did not name the airline she works for, but she did accuse the company of “modern slavery on the border.”

The crew member gave the example of calling in sick, saying this would lead to meetings with her manager and an internal investigation into “why” she was sick.

“As if they came from Mars and never experienced having a human body,” she wailed.

Not only did she feel mistreated by her employer, but she was also tired of the “long hours where every flight was yelled at by at least one inconsiderate asshole.”

Many commenters agreed with her, and while some were still struggling, others shared how they learned to cope with the demands of the job

She noted that she didn’t even have the opportunity to vent with her colleagues.

‘JYou don’t work with the same people, so you can’t even make regular friends naturally,” she explained. ‘[You] have to make a lot of effort among themselves to maintain a relationship.’

She added Some crew members are “insufferable” and “passionate about this company” because of the influence they gain online.

‘I’m just so tired. I feel so out of place in this company and with this job, and I’m so frustrated that I’m being treated like shit by some seniors even though I work my hardest and keep a smile on my face no matter what. how hard it gets,” she continued.

She claimed that senior crew members had her reported for minor infractions that posed no safety risks and made it “a huge hassle.”

The flight attendant concluded that she just wanted to blow off some steam and encouraged others to share their own complaints.

Many commenters agreed with her, and while some were still struggling, others shared how they learned to cope with the demands of the job.

“The work generally sucks if you look GENERAL. But the benefits and free time of becoming a line holder make this one of the best jobs. If you don’t mind eating ramen for seven years until you earn a living wage,” one person commented.

“I’ve only recently started this career and I’m trying to understand why everyone loves it so much,” another added. ‘I applied because I had a job, it wasn’t my dream or anything. I’m trying to see it [if] it’s worth being away from my family. I missed Friendsgiving and birthdays this week just because I had a layover in Ohio all by myself. I’m trying to persevere for now.’

“The only reason I stay is for the benefits and free time. I’ve been off for almost 2 weeks. Otherwise the job can get you if you let it,” another person shared. ‘I go to work. Work and go home. I don’t make it more than that. Sounds harsh, but I ended up being like this before I even started working for my airline, so it worked itself out. I cried a little here and there.”