For years, working as a flight attendant had a glamour factor that was hard to beat. In the late sixties and early seventies, the young women who held these positions were the envy of all their friends. Schmoozing with passengers and traveling the country for free seemed so romantic.
Today, young men and women are still drawn to the profession in the hopes of satisfying their wanderlust. For others, the appeal of a flexible schedule and a career where no two days are the same feels like a breath of fresh air when compared to the nine-to-five world. And yet our understanding of flights attendants and their job responsibilities has changed over the past several decades.
The events of September 11 in particular shed light on what it means to work as a flight attendant. As details of the tragedy emerged, we were reminded that a flight attendant's chief responsibility is to ensure the safety of all passengers.
Patricia Friend, President of the Association of Flight Attendants, said, “We’ve struggled for many years to change the image of cabin crew from frivolous airheads and after 9/11 it is clearer than ever that we are safety professionals and first responders” [1].
While 9/11 brought this fact to the fore, it also presented flight attendants with a number of new challenges.
So what if you're still enticed by the notion of getting paid to travel but don't feel drawn to the commercial airline industry? You might want to think about working on board a private (or executive) jet.
Private jets that include a galley are usually staffed by one flight attendant. Since preparation of gourmet meals is often a staple of these flights, companies like NetJets prefer that applicants have experience in yacht, concierge, or five-star dining services [2]. In some cases, a college degree is also required.
For corporate flight attendants, the experience is more personal, and they don't have to cope with many of the stressors associated with working on a commercial flight. For a list of private jet operators visit: http://www.corporateflyer.net/PJCO.htm
References:
[1] Patricia Friend
[2] NetJets
