We are flight attendants and these are the worst parts of our job

While they may all be smiling in the sky, two flight attendants have revealed that there are many downsides to their jobs.

Aja Bailey, who spent more than eight years as a cabin crew for both commercial airlines and private jets, says some of the more difficult aspects of her job include missing every social event and altitude-induced health issues.

Meanwhile, Caroline Kneitz, who spent six years as an Emirates flight attendant, says difficult passengers were a constant stress.

Some of her least pleasant memories include seeing a drunk man beat his wife and a man she told to quit smoking blowing e-cigarette smoke in her face.

Take a flight down to learn more of their insights into what goes on behind the scenes as a flight attendant.

Health issues

Aja says constant exposure to high altitudes can lead to a variety of health issues, such as dehydration and exhaustion, so it’s “important to prioritize your health in this industry.”

She once had to get an IV because she was “super dehydrated.” The globetrotter explained: ‘Sometimes you’re so busy at work that you forget to drink water and eat. It’s not like a nine to five job where you get a lunch break.

“When you’re on back-to-back trips, sometimes there’s no break in between. Now I have to tell myself to stop, have a granola bar, have a protein bar… I’ll bring a protein shake and just something to nibble on on my travels.”

Difficult passengers

Caroline says that during her time as a flight attendant, she had some troublesome passengers, which made the job very stressful at times.

Some of her least pleasant experiences included a passenger blowing an e-cigarette in her face after being asked to stop smoking and once witnessing a drunk man beat his wife on a crowded flight.

Then she remembers many passengers complaining about the food, either “expecting restaurant quality meals or recipes that don’t even exist.”

She adds, “Once a boy came up to me and demanded a burger!”

The seatbelt sign was “another classic,” says Caroline, and “by far the highest bone of contention between the crew and their passengers.”

She explains: ‘A crew will have an argument with a passenger about this at least once per flight. For us, that very often meant a trip to the manager’s office, reports and possible implications for your file.’

Even families can be difficult in certain situations, says Caroline.

She told of one particular incident: “One family insisted on a stroller service that is only available at our home base.

“So after the plane landed and people disembarked, they were so insistent that they refused to get off the plane. In the end, security had to be called to remove the family.”

Dealing with people’s mess

Many passengers leave a lot of rubbish, the ladies say, but Caroline says the worst she had to deal with was human excrement.

Recalling the unpleasant incident, she said: “Our flight from Dhaka, Bangladesh, was delayed once because certain seats were soiled with feces and we didn’t have enough spare covers.

“It was like the whole interior needed a facelift after a four-hour flight.

“Because people leave a lot of mess on their seats, especially crumbs and leftover food, it’s very common to request a change of cover once passengers have disembarked. It can get pretty dirty.”

Heavy workload and multitasking

To be a flight attendant, both women say you have to be like a “Swiss army knife” because so many different jobs are expected of you.

Caroline added: “There’s a term we used as a nickname for air hostesses, ‘octo stew’, because of the idea that we would need octopus arms to get things done.”

Aja says that on private jets you have even more responsibilities because you often work alone.

She explains, “Private jet flight attendants are responsible for a wide variety of tasks, including cleaning, stocking and preparing meals, which can be very physically demanding.”

Medical emergencies

Another role that both women unexpectedly had to play during their time on the air was “medician.”

Both say they have witnessed many medical emergencies. Aja said the most stressful situation she encountered was when a passenger passed out and she had to perform CPR.

Meanwhile, Caroline said she witnessed many old people having heart attacks, but two of the most traumatic incidents she had to deal with were the death of a four-year-old on her way from Dubai to Munich due to a high fever and a woman who had a miscarried. from Australia to Dubai.

“She was in terrible pain for about 14 hours and was bleeding like crazy,” said Caroline.

One of the more bizarre medical emergencies she encountered was a woman who couldn’t get a ring off her finger because it was so swollen. As a result, they had to make an emergency landing to save her finger.

Missing major life events

Both women say their jobs have caused them to miss many social events, from birthdays to weddings to family gatherings.

Aja says this is something she has accepted, but it can be difficult at times.

She mused, “I’ve missed every major event throughout my career.

“I’ve missed weddings, I’ve missed thanksgivings, Christmas, lots and lots of birthdays. It just comes with the job and the territory.

“People usually fly on vacation and want to see their family. So flight attendants and pilots are typically at work during those big, special days.’

Low and irregular wages

As for pay, both Aja and Caroline say salaries can vary wildly.

According to jobside Indeed.com, the average base salary for a flight attendant in the US is $39,448.

When she started in the industry, Aja said her salary was “not livable for the year” and her training – which lasted two months – was unpaid.

Now, on private jets, the benefits are much better, but the services can be erratic, so she must have saved money in case no jobs come in.

Meanwhile, Caroline said her salary was much better because she worked for an airline in the Middle East.

She revealed: “Paying for Middle East airlines is good because it is tax free and the cost of living is fully covered. So you make about $3,000 a month, which isn’t bad.”