A larger carrier equals more destinations. That means there are endless options on cities to layover in. Are there some that I end up staying at more than others? Sure, but the options are there which keeps the job from getting mundane too quickly.
3. Schedule flexibility
Having 20,000 flight attendants at my airline offers a lot of schedule flexibility. There is always someone willing to swap trips with you. Everyone is looking for something different out of their flying, whether it be a layover in their hometown, shorter flights, a specific aircraft, etc. That being said, you never know what someone is wanting and you can almost always swap your trips to fit your schedule.
4. No reserve status
This benefit is specific to my airline. Most airlines require you to be on reserve for quite some time. I’ve talked to many flight attendants who were on reserve for 20+ years. No thank you. With my airline, there is no reserve. You have 0-6 days on call a month (depending on your seniority) and the rest of your schedule is pre-plotted. Knowing where you’re flying ahead of time allows you a better quality of life. You’re not tied to your phone waiting for scheduling to call and ruin your plans. Instead, you know ahead of time which days you’re on call and that’s it.
5. Charter/military trips
Larger airlines cater to more destinations which opens more opportunities to partner with different companies, teams, and groups for charter trips. Many of these trips are insanely good. For instance, I have some friends who were chosen to be flight attendants for Rihanna’s last tour. They deadheaded to a lot of the cities, had long layovers, and went to a few of her shows. Not a bad gig.
6. Frequently fly with new crews
While it would be nice to fly with the same crews from time to time, it is refreshing to have different crews for the most part. I have had the same flight attendant go with me to Barcelona twice and another flight attendant went with me to Amsterdam and Athens. Other than that, I feel pretty confident in saying I haven’t flown with the same people twice. I run into flight attendants I’ve flown with many times in lounges or airports so it’s not as if I never see them again. But it is nice to have a variety of people to work with. Keeps things interesting, that’s for sure.
Amazing Dublin Crew
Overall, I echo what Kara said. I’m thankful for where I have ended up. The airline that I work for has presented me with so many incredible opportunities, and I thank God for putting me right where I am. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
***
(Interesting background story: Bri and I became friends through my blog. We email, text, and share our confusions about life, love, wanderlust, and God. I feel like we’ve met, but we haven’t. I can’t wait till we do:)