While there was a pandemic time when tens of thousands of flight attendants were waiting to see whether they would have a job, the issue facing the industry in 2023 is finding the staff to run the flights that passengers pay to take.
Despite Department of Transportation data showing that hiring in the airline industry has increased by more than 30% from 2020 to 2023, United UAL, Delta DAL and American Airlines AAL have all expressed their challenges with finding staff. Pilots and air traffic controllers are in particularly short supply.
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In a TikTok video that is increasingly gaining traction online, Australian former flight attendant Ashlee Jane gave four reasons why she ultimately quit her job that ultimately come down to the industry’s high stakes and unpredictability..
@ashleejjane I quit my job as a flight attendant.. ✈️ #cabincrew #flightattendant #quitmyjob
♬ original sound - ASHLEE JANE 🖤
‘I found that in itself to be really exhausting…’
“You could be working at any hour of any day of any week, it changes everyday, it changes every week,” Jane, who is based in Melbourne but does not specify which airline she used to work for, says in the minute-long video. “I found that in itself to be really exhausting.
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Jane also touched upon another common complaint expressed by flight attendants — as airlines rework routes, flights can get pulled at the last minute and flight attendants often do not know when or whether they will be working until the last minute.
While this excitement is precisely what attracts some to the job, it can be difficult for those early on in their career to plan their budget and know whether they will receive enough work to meet their bills as well as plan their life if they have young families.
“It’s aviation, nothing is guaranteed,” Jane says. “Your shift for that day is not even guaranteed. Whatever you have tomorrow it is not guaranteed. You might just be going in for a day shift, next minute you might be away for four days.”
Flight attendant describes why she ‘started to dread it in the end’
But ultimately, Jane said that the freedom of being able to get “sent anywhere anytime” that attracts many with wanderlust to becoming a flight attendant ultimately started to wear on her.
“As much fun as it is going away on overnights, exploring new places and things like that I started to dread it in the end,” Jane said “I didn’t want to leave my partner, I just wanted to be at home with him and when I was away in these hotels, all I was thinking about was I want to be at home.”
At the moment, flight attendants across several airlines are either in the midst of or threatening job action over low pay – the union representing American Airlines fight attendants is currently waiting to receive the first step toward approval to strike while United’s flight attendants have come out to picket at Austin’s Bergstrom International Airport on Nov. 1 as they also wait for approval for a wider strike for fairer contracts and better pay.
“We have new-hire flight attendants that are making less than somebody would make at Buc-ee’s, basically, to start and basing them in the most expensive cities in the United States, ”United Airlines flight attendant Trey Heslep told local media.
