When I first became a Commerical Flight Attendant, I would always dream of working on private jets with the rich and famous. However, I never dreamt it would become possible. I always made the assumption that only the young pretty girls were amongst the glamorous Private Cabin Attendants. It wasn’t until I started doing my research that I found men can in fact be Private Cabin Attendants, but it is just a bit more of a challenge. Well, if you know me, you know I do NOT accept no for an answer, and I am always up for a challenge. I brought the idea up of me becoming a Cabin Attendant to a friend of mine who flies for a private charter operator as a pilot. He told me if I wanted to be successful at it, I had to do the training. He gave me the name of the company to do the training with, and next thing I knew I was in the next training class. I was very nervous about embarking on this new journey, but my AMAZING former Pan Am Flight Attendant— turned Corporate Flight Attendant Teacher— along with some of the closest friends I met in training, instilled greatness in me, and the best knowledge to take my training and RUN with it.
To all of the men out there who are wanting to become a Cabin Attendant, here are some tips that I have for you.
- Now, I may not know everything, but what I do know for a fact is that there are very few male cabin attendants in business aviation. Although there is no way of tracking the numbers, I can imagine that we are about 3-5% of the Cabin Attendants in Business Aviation (editor’s note: could be even as low as 1%). Shocking, I know. Now men, don’t get me wrong, this shocking statistic may slightly put a damper on your dreams, but it is possible to pursue this career, and I am proof of that.. This just means you have to work a little bit harder.
- As a man in a sea full of women in Business Aviation, we seem to stick out like sore thumbs. As a man you may have more barriers than a female may encounter. I have found that to be true. A majority of clients that you will fly are men. Well, most men usually prefer a female cabin attendant. But, you may also have select clients who ONLY want a Male (Rare, but true). You can always tell when the client is expecting to have a female. You know, The big Wall Street business men that board the aircraft in their tightly tailored suits that probably cost more than a new Honda Civic. They come on the aircraft, and they have the look of surprise. This may be intimidating, but I promise you this can work to your advantage. You have to OWN your “WOW” factor. You need to show them why having a male cabin attendant is the best thing that ever happened on the pretty Gulfstream that they requested. I remember a trip that I was working that had all male clients. They of course were a bit surprised, but very nice. I knew I needed to WOW them. Well, the clients decided inflight from London to NYC that they no longer wanted the catering that we had, and they wanted something else. I had to pull together all of my scraps that I had onboard and make a meal out of them. It was such a simple meal, but I made sure it was a personalized experience for them. I made special treats and other items for dessert that I found left over from the aircraft. They were in shock! They told me having a male cabin attendant was a first for them, but very refreshing. They even found out I was a personal trainer and had me sit down and go over their nutrition with them. HAHA! I say your “wow” factor, because you truly have to make your client go, “WOW!” My suggestion for you. Learn something new every day that can potentially better yourself or add to their experience. Be on top of your game, and the best you that you can be.
- Something I have found to be true: You are submitting your resume to a flight department, and you pop the question, “So, have you ever hired a male cabin attendant?”. The first company I ever flew with had never hired a male. I don’t know if a male ever submitted their resume to them or not, but they simply had never hired a male. Networking is how I was able to be hired there. My amazing friend who I met in training actually introduced me to her flight department and was able to refer me a job. I had to prove to them why hiring a male was the best decision they ever made. Every single day of your career needs to be thought of as a networking experience. You have to be the best you every single day. I met a potential client one time in coach on a commercial flight… who would have thought? Their aircraft went down for maintenance and they had to fly commercial. I had my suit and tie on and business cards ready. You never know when or where you could meet your next lead.
- Some of you may be thinking that you don’t have what it takes. I can assure you that I was there once. I finally got to a moment of disgust where I realized that if I don’t chase after every dream I have, that I will never be happy. It didn’t matter that only 3% of Cabin Attendants are men. I was going to become amongst the 3% and own it! You will receive probably 10 ‘No’s’ before you get your first trip. But, you can’t give up. For every few no, you will have your yes. When you have your first “yes” trip you will realize that it was all worth it. I once heard a quote, “If you are not uncomfortable, you are not growing.” I take that quote personally. I force myself to get uncomfortable daily, because it allows me to grow and learn more about myself. When you are able to grow personally, watch how fast your success will catapult. If you are a male, wanting to become a Cabin Attendant in Business Aviation and don’t know where to begin, I challenge you to start with yourself. Grow personally, absorb all of the knowledge there is to know about Business Aviation, then get started. Never look back and never take no for an answer. I forced myself to be successful with this not knowing if I actually ever would be. Now, I have signed with several different flight departments, flown around the most famous celebrities and top 1%. I’ve brought my business to heights I didn’t think were possible at this early in my career. With proper drive EVERYTHING is possible!
Now, what are you waiting for? See you in the skies!
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